Now and then
by Sandy1983
Summary: Damon wasn't all that popular in high school. On top of that, he felt humiliated by the gorgeous Elena Gilbert. Twenty years later, he is a successful and changed man. What will happen when they meet again?
1. Chapter 1

Now and then

**This story is based on a TV movie I saw a few years back, called ´This time around´. It was about a geeky girl, wanting to get back at a popular guy that humiliated her in high school. Only, they wind up falling in love. In my story, I would like to turn things around. Elena was the popular one in high school. Damon was the geek. Twenty years later, they meet again. Will sparks fly? **

Prologue

Fifteen year old Damon Salvatore sat in the high school cafeteria, munching on his sandwich when she walked by. The goddess of Mystic Falls High.

Elena Gilbert.

She was surrounded by her usual posse. Caroline Forbes, Tyler Lockwood and Matt Donovan. All were popular. Tyler and Matt were jocks. And Caroline was insanely rich. He knew that he didn't stand a chance in hell of ever getting near her. But he could watch from a distance.

He could fantasize.

She was so beautiful with her long, brown tresses. Her olive skin. Her..

"Hello? Earth to Damon?" his friend Alaric said next to him.

Damon snapped out of his daze.

"What?"

Alaric grinned and shook his head.

"No way, man! Pigs will fly before guys like us get next to the likes of her! I mean, look at her and then look at us. She's beautiful and has guys like Matt Donovan adoring her. We have bad hair, retainers and a lithe build. She would laugh her ass off!" he helped Damon out of his dream.

Damon sighed.

"I know."

Alaric patted his shoulder.

"We're not in her crowd. You've been pining after her for a year now. Time to move on and chase girls that we DO have a chance with! You don't want to die a virgin, now do you?"

Damon straightened his shoulders. Alaric did have a point. This crush had been going on for way too long. Time to do something about it.

He got up from his table and started walking.

"Hey man, what are you doing?" Alaric yelled after him.

But he wasn't stopping this time. For once, he wasn't going to be afraid. He was tired of being a geek!

His heart began to pound, his palms were getting sweaty. But he made it to her table without backing down. When she looked up at him with her beautiful doe brown eyes, he felt himself melting on the spot.

"Hi Elena," he squeaked.

She smiled up at him. But then confusion marred her features.

"Hi..eh.."

She didn't know his name. Damn! Was he making a fool of himself here?

"Damon," he told her his name anyway.

She smiled at him again.

He was about to ask her out. But then her friend, Caroline, butted in.

"Excuse me? Can we help you?" she bitched at him.

Damon felt himself start to blush. O damn!

"Look, he's blushing! Isn't that cute?" Caroline continued humiliating him.

Damon just focused on Elena, though. He cleared his throat and did what he came here to do.

"Listen, Elena. I was wondering if you would go out with me."

He released the words in one breath. There. She knew now. She knew that he liked her. Unfortunately, Elena's entire posse started laughing.

The entire cafeteria looked over their way, focussing on the group laughing at him.

"O that is so hilarious! Really, Dan? Have you seen you?" Caroline mocked him. He wanted to correct her on his name, but decided to keep his mouth shut this time. He had already dug himself in deep.

"We are the IT crowd. We are either popular, rich of insanely beautiful. Are you either of those things? No. So why don't you just run along, before the entire school starts laughing at you. Because there is no way in hell that Elena would ever go out with you!" Caroline finished her slaughter of him.

Damon felt his entire body start to shake. Everyone in the cafeteria was laughing now. Making fun of him. He focused his eyes on Elena, wanting to see her reaction. Did she agree with them?

She seemed very uncomfortable. Which gave him hope. But then Caroline interrupted again.

"You wouldn't go out with him, right Elena?" she squealed in laughter.

Elena looked at him for a second. Damon's heart almost stopped, waiting for her answer. But then she crushed all of his hopes.

She started laughing too.

"Right, Care."

Damon's face fell. He was the laughing stock of the entire room now. So he did the only thing he could do at that point. He ran…

_Twenty years later_

"Mmm, now this is a nice way to wake up!" Damon drawled at the naked woman in his arms.

She rolled over on top of him and started stroking his chest.

"I agree."

She stopped to lick at his nipple.

"You really do live up to your reputation, Damon Salvatore. You're a god when it comes to sex," she complimented him.

Damon grinned and rolled them over, cradling himself between her thighs.

"So you girls talk about me, then," he winked.

The woman rolled her eyes.

"When you have slept with the entire female population of Richmond? Yes, you are bound to build up quite a rep."

Damon got a cocky smirk on his face.

He rolled back off of her and got out of bed.

"Where are you going?" she asked, holding the sheet up to her chest.

Damon stalked over towards his bathroom buck naked. He turned around before he entered.

"I have to get to work, Andie. And so do you. Get dressed. I'll call you later," he told her.

Andie's eyes widened at his bluntness.

"I guess you live up to that reputation, too."

Damon crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway.

"What reputation?" he wanted to know.

Andie got out of bed and began collecting her clothes.

"You're a love em and leave em kind of guy. You never let anyone get too close. No woman has ever stayed in your life for more then a week. You sleep with them, and then you toss them aside. Doesn't that ever bore you, Damon? Don't you get lonely? Don't you want someone to spend your life with?"

Damon swallowed hard at her words. Who the hell did she think she was, judging him like that!

His face hardened when he spoke to her.

"No, it never bores me. Your little speech, however, does bore me. Get dressed and get out. Don't let the door hit you on the way out," he snapped.

Andie huffed and turned on her heel.

´Good riddance!´ Damon thought.

He stepped into the shower, letting the warm water cascade over his strong, muscular body. Women loved his body. They adored the way he looked. Which was why his bed was never empty. When he thought back on his appearance in high school, a shudder ran down his back.

Thank god for ear jobs, retainer removals, bench pressing and good haircuts! He never wanted to go back there again!

But Andie had made a point. He never did let women get too close. Maybe because he was afraid that they would eventually see through the cocky attitude. He used to be so geeky and insecure. No one was ever getting to see that side again! No one was ever going to hurt him. As far as he was concerned, he had a good thing going here.

He arrived at work an hour later, greeting his friend of many years.

Alaric Saltzman was the only one that had been with him practically his entire life. He could never hide anything from him. And he wasn't afraid to call him on his bullshit. He wasn't afraid of his cocky and overpowering attitude.

Which was why they started a business together a few years ago. The Salvatore Saltzman law firm was doing really well. They were drowning in cases.

Damon had become everything he always wanted in high school. He was successful and good looking. And he fought hard for it.

"You're late," Alaric grumbled at him.

Damon shrugged his shoulders.

"Rough night," he explained.

Alaric looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Ah yes, how is Andie?"

Damon plopped down on the chair across from Alaric and sighed.

"Andie is past tense. She left this morning."

Alaric shook his head, smiling.

"You just keep dumping them faster and faster. You know, it might be a nice change to actually be with one woman for more than a week," he told Damon.

Damon swung his feet up on the desk and leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head.

"Are you turning into Andie now? Seriously bud, I know you're deliriously happy with Isobel, but some of us are not cut out for that kind of lifestyle."

Alaric raised his hands in surrender.

"Okay fine. I'll change the subject. We have a new client. But I don't think you're going to like it."

Damon squinted his eyes. That didn't sound good!

"Okay shoot. What did the fellow do? Am I going to have to represent a psycho?" he asked disgusted.

Alaric snorted.

"Hardly. It's a she. And the reason why you're not going to like it, is because she lives in Mystic Falls. Our old home town."

Damon's indifferent attitude faltered a little. He sat up straight in his chair and leaned forward.

He felt himself gulping.

"And there is more," Alaric continued.

Damon frowned. What more could there possibly be?

"The person were going to be representing is Elena Gilbert."

Damon felt as if a bomb had been dropped on him. He felt all the blood leave his face and his hands started trembling a little.

But he quickly recovered. He got up from his chair and started pacing.

"I'm not taking the case," he said with finality.

Alaric took out a file from his desk and leafed through it, indifferent to Damon's crappy mood.

"I already took it," he said without looking up.

Damon's pacing came to an abrupt pause.

"You did WHAT?" he snarled.

Alaric closed the file and leaned back in his chair.

"Look, this is easy money to make. She pays well, and the case is not that hard," he explained himself.

Damon took a few angry steps towards Alaric's desk, placed his hands on it and leaned forward.

"I don't care if all she did was jaywalk! I will never represent that stupid bitch! I don't even know why she would hire a lawyer all the way from Richmond! Let her find someone else!"

Alaric sighed.

"If you remember Mystic Falls correctly, you'll know that that shit hole doesn't have any decent facilities. And Richmond is the closest town to it. Look, I know you have some hard feelings towards her. And I don't blame you. But you're not that boy anymore, Damon. I mean, look at you. Woman fall all over themselves to be with you. She's probably not even going to recognise you. Try and put your personal feelings aside. You know, it might help you get some closure if you show up being all successful and hot. She won't know what hit her."

Alaric's words hit home. He was absolutely right!

Maybe it was time for a little payback. He would make her fall in love with him and then he would dump her ass! It would probably be the best feeling in the world!

His face broke out in an evil grin.

"You know what, Ric? You're right! I'm going to do this case. Elena Gilbert won't see me coming…."

**What did you think of this first chapter? Would you like to see more? Please review!**

**Follow me for info about the story, or just to chat about TVD: /#!/Sandy1983b**


	2. Chapter 2

Welcome back.

Damon started feeling antsy as soon as he drove past the "Welcome to Mystic Falls" sign. This was one shit hole he had never wanted to set foot in again! But if he wanted to make easy bucks, and get his revenge on Elena, he needed to be here and do this.

The town obviously hadn't changed a bit. Still the same old dirt roads. The same old boring town square. He could spot the Mystic Grill in the distance, a place where he and Ric would hang sometimes. Even that one hadn't changed.

Damon really didn't want to be here. This place reminded him of the pathetic loser he once was. It reminded him of the things he went through when he was picked upon. O well, time to take the experience and turn it into something good.

The corners of his mouth lifted into a lazy smile.

His mind started wandering to Elena Gilbert. He wondered what she would look like now. She had been so beautiful in high school. He could still picture the chocolate coloured hair, her mile long legs, her big brown eyes.

Would she still be a knock out?

Twenty years was a long time. It had done wonders for him. What had it done for her? The fact that she still lived in this dump didn't bode well.

He looked at the file lying next to him on the passenger seat. In there, there was everything he needed to know about Elena Gilbert. But he hadn't glanced at it once. Somehow, he couldn't bring himself to open that part of his life yet.

For a lawyer, it wasn't very smart to go to a client unprepared. It was his duty to check out all the dirt. But he hadn't. It kind of chagrined him. It meant Elena Gilbert still got to him somehow. If he wanted to see this plan through, he needed to not give a fuck.

He was all about that. The tough exterior. Mister bad guy.

He was known in the world of law as a cold and detached man. Nothing was able to hurt him. And he always won his case. He was notorious. Some Districts of Attorney's were scared shitless of him. He liked it that way. And he wanted to keep that reputation. So there was NO way he would let Elena Gilbert screw him up all over again!

But then why did he feel just a tad nervous as he parked in front of her house?

He clutched the steering wheel tight in his hands, taking a few breaths to calm himself.

Her house looked nice enough. It was a two story building in a nice and quiet street. So she obviously had done well for herself.

He took another deep breath. Time to face the music.

"Come on, you pussy! Get your ass in there and have your revenge!" he told himself.

He grabbed her file of his passenger seat, embarrassingly noticing his hands shaking just a tiny bit.

'_Though exterior, remember? Tough exterior!'_

He stepped out of the car and walked over towards her front door with sure steps. He felt himself become the lawyer again. The feel of his suit, leather briefcase and 400 dollar shoes always changed him.

He would give her a run for her money!

With a strong fist, he knocked on her front door and waited.

After a few moments it opened.

Damon put on his most charming smile.

A smile that faltered when he took in the person standing before him.

Fuck! She was still hot!

He recognised her immediately.

Elena Gilbert had become quite a woman! Sure, she had been beautiful in high school. But that was nothing compared to this vision.

He found himself gulping as he took in her full breasts. Her round hips. She still had gorgeous long, dark tresses. But they now curled a bit, framing her exquisite face.

Her skin was still so soft and olive looking. And those big, brown eyes were looking at him expectantly.

Right, he was here to work!

He cleared his throat and held out his hand for her to shake.

"Miss Gilbert? My name is Damon Salvatore. I'll be representing you," he said in a thankfully steady voice.

Her face broke out into a small smile and she took his hand. He felt the move immediately. Sparks of electricity shot up his arm.

Damn!

'_Keep her out, Damon! Keep her out!'_

"Hello Mr. Salvatore. Why don't you come in?"

Damon felt his heartbeat pick up at the sound of her voice. It was so husky!

He stepped over the threshold and looked around, while she led him to the sitting room.

It was a bit frustrating to find no flaw in her home. She had made it real warm and inviting. Fuck! He had hoped at least one thing in her life wasn't going so well. Well, she had hired him. Which meant she had some sort of trouble with the law. That made him feel a little better.

It was pretty obvious she didn't recognise him. Which was perfect for him! It would only add to the bang once he blew everything wide open.

He sat down on her couch and began right away. No reason to beat around the bush.

"So, you want to explain to me in your own words why, exactly, you have hired me?"

It was devious. He was asking because he had no clue. Some lawyer he was!

He watched her cross her gorgeous legs in front of him, ready to start talking.

"I.."

A piercing wail interrupted her.

The annoying noise came from somewhere at the back of the room. And it was getting louder and louder. It almost sounded like..a baby?

He watched as Elena got up from the couch and walked to a playpen he only now noticed. And yes, she picked up a baby.

All the blood left his face as he watched her coo towards it.

She was a mother now?

Things were getting complicated fast! Was she married?

This definitely screwed up his plans!

He sat dumbfounded as Elena carried the baby, obviously a girl, towards the couch and placed it in her lap.

"So this is the reason I hired you," Elena revealed.

Damon's eyebrows knitted together. A baby was the reason she hired him?

Elena sighed and revealed her tale.

"Her father and I broke up a couple of months after she was born. It just wasn't working out between us. But we made a pretty good deal. We had joined custody. Everything was arranged. And then that bitch Katherine waltzed into his life. Stefan adored the ground she walked on and soon enough they got engaged. It would have been just fine with me, if it wasn't for the fact that he did a complete one eighty. He wants full custody now. Her plan. She said to him that I was in no way able to provide the stable and loving home they could now provide. With them, she would have a mother and a father. A real family. I am a working, single mother. They said I wouldn't stand a chance in court."

Damon took in all the information, but found himself tong tied.

He found himself staring at the baby. This really wasn't going the way he wanted it to go. He found himself feeling sorry for her, instead of rejoicing in the fact that her life wasn't so perfect after all. He wanted to find this Stefan and knock some bloody sense into him.

Maybe he wasn't ready for this. Maybe it would be best to let Ric handle this one.

He was about to get up and leave, when she stopped him with her huge, sad eyes.

"Tell me, Mr. Salvatore. Do I have a chance? I can't loose my daughter. I don't want to end up only visiting her for a few hours a week."

Her voice cracked on the last sentence. Tears filled her eyes and to his horror she began to sob in front of him. She was fucking sobbing!

He clumsily reached for his handkerchief and handed it to her.

"Thank you," she said. "I'm sorry. I don't want to become a mess in front of you."

He found himself smiling reassuringly at her.

"It's okay. I understand how difficult this situation must be," he told her.

And he wasn't lying. He genuinely meant it. He now also knew why Ric called this an easy case. It would have been difficult if he had been representing the father. But it was a well known fact in the world of law that custody hearings almost always ended up in favour of the mother. Unless Stefan had good reasons to call her an unfit mother.

"Miss Gilbert. I'll be brutally honest with you here. Going to court against your ex-husband will be nasty. They will probably pull out all the stops to prove that you are unable to care for your child. But we will win this. Most of the time children are appointed to their mothers. And I will make sure it will be the outcome in this case too. I am the very best. I have never lost a case before," he remarked proudly.

Elena nodded in relief and kissed her daughter's head.

Damon felt his heart warming at the sight.

'_Stay detached, Damon!'_

He took out his notepad and pen. Time for some questions. He actually had an excuse now to find out about how she had been doing. What her life was like.

"I just need to ask some things here. Things that might help us win this case. I hope you can answer them."

Elena nodded at him.

"Okay, first question. What is your line of work?" Damon asked seriously.

"I'm an editor for the Mystic Falls Gazette."

Damon felt his eyebrows shooting upwards. Seriously? That really suited her. In high school, when he had been pining away for her, he always saw her writing. So it was a funny twist that she wound up with the local newspaper. A newspaper he had read every morning when he was in high school.

Okay, back to the interrogation.

"Do you have a criminal record?"

Elena's mouth fell open.

"Excuse me? Of course not!" she snapped.

Damon almost grinned at her outburst. He loved getting under her skin! But he quickly recomposed and spoke to her in a serious tone.

"Miss Gilbert, in order to win this case, I have to know these things. If you don't have a decent job or a criminal record, your daughter will most definitely be appointed to your ex. So I have to ask for your complete cooperation."

Elena began to blush at his reprimand. She actually blushed! He smirked at getting her so uncomfortable.

Elena nodded in agreement and looked down.

"Okay, next question. How many days a week do you work?" Damon continued.

"I work 3 and a half days."

"And where do you drop of your daughter while you're at work?"

Elena sighed.

"On Mondays and Tuesdays, she goes to a day care centre nearby. And on Wednesday morning and Thursday, she stays with my mother," she told him.

Damon nodded. He remembered Miranda Gilbert. Always so proud of her popular and straight A student kid. This would certainly put a dent in her vision of the perfect daughter. Divorced and a single mom? There was no way Miranda Gilbert would approve. He actually felt sorry for that kid in Elena's lap for having to spend a day and a half with her grandma!

"Final question. What do you and your daughter do on weekends?"

Damon looked up to find Elena looking a little sad.

"Well, on Saturday and Sunday she stays with Stefan. But on Friday I take her to toy stores. Or to the park for an afternoon stroll. Or we just stay in and have a mother and daughter day."

Damon swallowed with difficulty, as he watched Elena's eyes light up every time she talked about her daughter. This was really not the same girl he met in high school.

_´Do NOT feel for her, man! Just win this case for your own ego and have a little fun seducing her. You can dump her when you get bored and then reveal your identity. The perfect payback!'_

Damon flipped his notepad shut and looked over at Elena.

"This is enough for today. I will come back in about a week and let you know how we will proceed. But I will tell you this. You seem to provide in a loving home for your child just fine. You pay the bills, you stay out of trouble and you take care of your child's needs. I see no problem in winning this case," he ensured her.

Elena smiled relieved at him.

"Do you hear that, Charlotte? You can stay with me," she said to her daughter.

She kissed the kid's chubby cheek and hugged her to her chest.

Damon watched with wary eyes. He felt this woman scratch the surface of his hard exterior. If he wasn't careful, she might be able to break through!

He quickly grabbed hold of his leather briefcase. He needed to get the fuck out and get some air!

"You know, you have the most familiar face."

Damon completely froze in his actions. His palms began to sweat and his heart was pumping loudly.

Did she know already? Did she recognise him?

He carefully turned her way and searched her eyes for clues on what she meant.

"I don't really know how. But I feel like I know you," she stated.

She took a couple of steps forward and looked deeply into his eyes.

Damon felt trapped by the way she looked at him. He couldn't move if his life depended on it.

Suddenly, the moment was gone. Elena quickly looked away and blushed profusely.

"I am so sorry! I didn't mean to stare!" she apologized.

Damon let out a sigh of relief. She didn't know.

"Well, here is my card if you ever need to get in touch. Like I said, I will contact you in a week with the development," he said hurriedly.

He needed to get out of here!

Elena walked him to the door, her daughter still attached to her hip.

"Thank you for your help. I appreciate it," she said gratefully.

Damon clenched his jaw and nodded at her.

He looked over at the kid she was clutching and swallowed as he saw the girl smiling at him. A big, toothless grin.

She was bound to break a few hearts when she grew up.

'_Like mother, like daughter,' _Damon thought.

"Well, see you next week."

Elena nodded at him.

"See you next week."

Damon almost ran towards his car. He threw his briefcase on the backseat and quickly turned the key in the ignition.

Time to hightail it out of there!

He pushed the pedal to the floorboard and left Mystic Falls with screeching tires….

**I was so in awe by the many reviews for the first chapter of this story, I actually became nervous about writing the second. I really hope this lives up to your expectations. **

**Please review!**

**Follow me for info about the story, or just to chat about TVD: /#!/Sandy1983b**


	3. Chapter 3

Temptations..Frustrations..

"O god yes, Damon! Right there! RIGHT…THERE!"

Damon grinned wickedly, pounding roughly into the screeching woman from behind. She was bordering on her 6th orgasm of the night and yet he showed no signs of stopping.

He grabbed onto her hair, pulling on it a bit, while the other one attached itself to her hip.

His hips smacked roughly against hers.

They had been going at it for an hour now. Damon showed her no mercy, pouring all of his frustrations into this woman. He was ruthless.

He needed this; he needed to vent. The Elena case had left him high strung for days now. He needed to release all these insane emotions.

The entire bed quaked under his ministrations and he watched the woman grab onto the headboard to keep from being thrust into it.

He knew he was all but pummelling her into the mattress, but he didn't care. She knew what she was getting into.

"Damon, please. I don't think I can any more," the woman moaned pitifully.

Damon scowled. Six orgasms and she was already done for? Wow, had he mistaken her stamina!

He draped himself over her back and whispered in her ear.

"One more time, baby. One more time."

The woman nodded as he built her up towards her final orgasm of the night.

Elena's faced started swimming in front of his eyes. He saw her big brown eyes looking at him, the way he had always wanted her to look at him.

He found himself gripping the woman's hips into a bruising grip, giving her all he got. His steady rhythm began to falter, and he pushed in and out of her at record speed. And then his orgasm tore through him like a bolt of lightening.

He groaned as his seed shot out of him.

Damn!

He pulled out of and plopped down on the bed next to her, exhausted.

"I think you took away my ability to walk," the woman moaned.

Damon turned to look at her, grinning proudly.

"You know you loved it, Rose. Don't complain."

The woman named Rose leaned over and kissed him.

Damon immediately pulled back. She was trying to get close to him and he wasn't having any of that.

He rolled out of bed and threw away the used condom.

"You should probably get going," he told Rose.

Rose arched an eyebrow at him.

"Really? You're tired of me already?"

Damon didn't answer her.

"Come on, Damon! It's the middle of the night," Rose bitched at him.

"Exactly! I need to actually get some sleep before going to work in a few hours. Therefore, no sleepovers," Damon explained.

"We could both use the sleep. Just let me stay. I won't bother you and I'll disappear quietly in the morning," Rose said to him.

Damon just looked at her pointedly. He wanted her to leave.

Rose's face fell and she threw the covers off of her.

"Fine! You're an ass, you know that!" she snapped at him.

Damon watched Rose wince as she got to her feet. He guessed he had been a little rough with her.

"Are you okay?" he asked her softly.

Rose grabbed her clothes and put them on without saying anything.

"Rose..," he tried again.

Rose's eyes shot fire at him.

"I don't want to hear it, Damon! I knew exactly the kind of man you were when I signed up for this. So I only have myself to blame here. But I at least expected you to have a little decency! I don't know what's bothering you. And frankly I don't even want to know. You've got issues. Sort them out!"

With those words, she left his apartment.

Damon lay back down in bed and put his hands behind his head. She was right. He was messed up. And it was because of the Elena case.

The bitch had ruined everything when she brought a baby into this! It made her all the more human. It almost made him want to forget about the things she had done to him. Almost…

He wondered if she was still friends with Caroline Forbes. That one had been the worst of them all. It would be so great to let them know who he was now; what he looked like now.

He glanced over at his alarm clock. It was now five a.m. and sleep still wasn't coming. He might as well get out of bed and go to work early. His alarm clock would have gone off at 6.30 anyway.

He drove himself to the office and got started on the case that had caused the sleep deprivation. He had managed to pick up some dirt on that Katherine woman. Things that would definitely help them push the case in their favour.

This was going to be such an easy win!

Maybe it was time to pay Elena a little visit today to let her know how things were proceeding. And he needed an excuse to get close to her again, of course.

He had decided that he was going to see this plan through. He was going to help her get her kid back. And he was going to seduce the hell out of her.

Sleeping with her would definitely ease some of his frustrations; he really needed to get started on that plan now.

Last time he saw her, he had been too dumbfounded. He wasn't going to let that happen again.

It was time to put the slow seduction into play here.

"You're early," Alaric frowned, as soon as he spotted his friend at the office a few hours later.

He threw his briefcase on a chair by the wall and sat down opposite from Damon.

"Is the Elena case getting to you?" he smirked at his friend.

Damon glanced up at him and gave him his broadest smile.

"Trust me, by the time I'm finished, she'll be well fucked and well played."

Alaric leaned back in his chair and continued to grin.

"Who says Elena Gilbert is going to let you into her pants?" he teased.

Damon smirked.

"Like you said before, have you seen me? There's no way she'll be able to resist this," he said as he pointed towards his body.

Alaric rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I know you're god's gift to woman here. But there might be one out there that you'll just never have."

Damon shook his head at his friend.

"I'll get Elena. Trust me. I need to have Elena."

Alaric stayed quiet for a moment and observed his friend. He knew him too well. And he knew his friend was on the brink of something.

"Damon, be careful here. Keep your eyes wide open," he warned.

Damon shrugged nonchalantly.

"I always watch my own back. Now, if you'll excuse me. I have a plan to see through," he told Alaric.

He picked up the phone and dialled Elena's number.

"Hello?" her voice resounded through the phone.

Damon sat up straight and took a deep breath.

"Hello, Miss Gilbert. This is Damon Salvatore. I have some new information on your case. Would you mind terribly if I dropped by later this afternoon to go over the details?"

He heard Elena yawning somewhere in the background.

Was he that boring?

"I am so sorry! Charlotte kept me awake all night. I'm a little tired. But yeah, you can come over," Elena told him.

Damon nodded, satisfied with her answer.

"Well, then I'll see you later."

He hung up the phone with a grin.

"Time to go play…."

He still remembered the directions to her house, so he wound up there in no time. He parked his car and sauntered over towards her front door.

He had dressed himself differently this time. Elena was never going to see him as anything else but a lawyer if he constantly showed up in an expensive suit. So he wore the thing that usually made women crazy if he went out.

He wore his trademark jeans, his boots and a dark shirt that he was told stretched over his chest like a second skin and brought out the blue in his eyes. On top of that, he wore his black, leather jacket.

Confidently, he knocked on her door.

He could immediately see the rough night she had, when she opened it.

There were dark circles under her eyes. Her skin was pale, her hair was a little dull and flat, and she was wearing sweatpants.

But he still found her very beautiful.

She smiled weakly at him, allowing him to enter.

"I'm sorry for my appearance. But like I said on the phone, Charlotte and I didn't sleep at all. She seems to be teething," she hurriedly explained.

Damon smiled widely at her. She was worried about her appearance with him. That was good!

"That's quite all right. I'm not exactly dressed as a fine and cut lawyer myself today," he reassured her.

Elena nodded thankfully and Damon noticed her eyes taking in his wardrobe.

Yep, she was checking him out.

Damon grinned and did that eye thing he was told women liked so much.

And it worked on Elena. She seemed a little flustered at his flirtatious look.

"Eh, why don't you have a seat?" she stammered.

Damon casually strolled into the sitting room after her. He took out his file on the case and sat down next to her on the couch this time, not opposite. He needed to make her nervous here after all!

"Okay, so there is good news and then there is bad news," he began.

Elena bit her lip. A gesture he already found intoxicating.

He cleared his throat.

"The good news is I was able to dig up some dirt that will surely discredit Katherine Pierce as a good role model for your child. The bad news is that your ex hired Klaus Smith. He is a notorious lawyer that will try to take you down. He is like a Doberman. But, you hired me, of course. And I'm known as a fearless Pitbull."

Elena nodded at him, listening to every word he said.

Damon grabbed a note he made out of the file and handed it to Elena, making sure that their fingers brushed against each other as she took it.

Unfortunately, it didn't just leave an effect on her. He felt the electricity immediately. He pulled his hand back, as if he'd been burned.

"Ah yes, eh. Those are the dates of the hearings," he stumbled over his words a bit.

Damn, he was supposed to be leaving an effect on her! Not the other way around!

He took a deep breath and looked up at her, finding her staring at his lips. She quickly looked away, as soon as he caught her.

Well, he was getting to her and that made him feel a little better.

"Eh, would you like some coffee?" she asked, making sure the tense atmosphere lifted.

She almost jumped from the couch, already making her way towards the kitchen.

"Yeah, sure. I would like that," he mumbled.

He heard her rummaging around with the coffee pot, smacking down cups a little too loudly on the counter.

It was surely working. He had gotten her to feel nervous.

Unfortunately, this whole thing had gotten him nervous as well.

Now, he knew what Alaric had meant when he said to be careful and keep his eyes wide open.

Here he was, sitting in the house of a girl he used to be madly in love with. Old feelings like that always had a chance of resurfacing. He needed to make sure his heart stayed out of this.

Behind him, the baby started wailing in her playpen. The sound almost made his eardrums split in two. No wonder Elena hadn't slept last night!

Elena came running out of the kitchen and quickly grabbed the girl to calm her down.

"I'm so sorry! I thought she would have slept a little longer. I just got her to settle down, right before you came," she apologised.

Damon shook his head.

"There is no need to apologise here. You can't help it if your child is not feeling well," he told her.

To his horror, Elena began to cry.

"This is too much for me! I can't deal with going to work for 3 and a half days, taking care of my child who is keeping me from sleeping, and prepare for a battle against her father. I can't do this!" she sobbed.

Damon sat rooted to the couch for a second. He didn't do crying women; he didn't know what to do with them!

But seeing both mother and daughter crying like that, he somehow found himself making his way over to them.

He put his hand on Elena's shoulder, getting her attention.

She looked up at him with her big, teary eyes.

"Come on. Come and sit down for a second," he said, and he guided her towards the couch.

She slumped down on it, holding the still whimpering child in her lap. She refused to look at him, so Damon found himself touching her chin and tilting it up so she faced him.

"Look, everybody is allowed to feel insecure now and then. You don't have to apologise for every little thing here. You are going trough some tough times. Don't be so hard on yourself."

The words poured out of him so naturally, it almost frightened him. With her, it was so easy to let his vulnerability kick in.

She smiled at him through her tears.

"You're a wonderful man, Mr. Salvatore," she told him.

Her words grasped his heart in vice-like grip.

"Please," he said. "Call me Damon."

"Okay. Damon."

The name rolled off her tongue with ease; it sounded so breathy to him.

He found himself swallowing as they stared at each other for a second, but the quiet whimpering of Charlotte interrupted them.

Damon quickly looked away and got up from the couch.

"You know what? Why don't you get your child to settle down, and I'll go and make us that coffee," he offered.

Elena smiled gratefully at him and nodded.

Damon quietly walked towards the kitchen, trying to figure out where everything was and what type of coffee machine she had so he knew which buttons to press.

Within minutes, he found himself right at home in her kitchen and had everything he needed. He made them two steaming mugs of coffee and walked back towards the sitting room.

The sight before him made him freeze for a second.

Elena had fallen asleep on the couch.

She was lying on her back, her hair spread out on the cushion behind her, her head rolled to the side, while Charlotte sat and played on her mother's stomach.

It was an adorable image.

Damon put down the coffee mugs on the table and knelt down in front of Elena's sleeping form, deciding whether to wake her or not. He still needed to talk over a few things.

But when he took in her peaceful and relaxed face, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

She looked so sweet and innocent, he felt himself start to feel.

He felt her chipping away at the wall he had built. She was freaking him out.

Was this really the same girl that had humiliated him in high school? He found it more difficult to remember her by the minute.

He watched her chest go up and down evenly. Her lips were slightly parted and little huffs of breath slipped through them.

Damon found himself reaching out to stroke her cheek. His finger lightly grazed her silky skin.

When Charlotte let out a whine, his heart jumped.

He quickly pulled his hand back and took a deep breath.

"What am I doing here?" he asked himself.

Charlotte looked at him with her big eyes and he could just tell by the expression on the kid's face, that she was ready to throw another tantrum.

Damon got up and clumsily grabbed the girl from her mother's chest.

"Don't wake your mother," he whispered in her ear.

He carried her to another room, trying to calm her down.

Charlotte held her sobs back and stared at him with questioning eyes. Damon groaned when he saw she had her mother's eyes.

"You're just going to wrap everybody around your little finger, aren't you?" he said to the baby-girl.

Charlotte pouted a little and continued to examine him.

"Don't pout. It's not charming," he laughed at her.

Damon walked over towards a window that had a view of the backyard. He stared across the grassy field and sighed.

Here he was, holding the daughter of a woman he used to despise. And worst of all, he didn't quit feel so detached anymore. He found it become harder and harder to hate her.

His heart almost clenched as he felt Charlotte snuggle against his chest. The little girl sighed and closed her eyes.

"I am so screwed here!" Damon said to himself. …

**This chapter just poured out of me. So I give you a fast update :)**

**I would like to thank Jana (FangtasticJaana on ) for being my beta for this. You rock, girl!**

**Please be kind and review!**

**Sandy1983.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I've got you under my skin**

**I've had many requests on doing an Elena's POV. So here is a short piece of her mind!**

Elena woke up, not even remembering falling asleep. There was a warmth surrounding her, which she had snuggled into**:** a blanket.

She cracked one eye open, noticing she was splayed out on the couch.

How had she gotten here?

She remembered talking to Damon Salvatore, her lawyer. He had went to get them both some coffee. She must have zoned out after that.

How embarrassing! What must he think of her now?

She had already made enough of a bad impression, opening the door for him in her sweatpants and practically without make-up. But Charlotte had left her no time to change into anything else with her incessant crying.

That reminded her …

Charlotte!

Why wasn't she crying now?

Elena bolted from the couch, racing through her living room.

And there she was, sleeping calmly in her playpen without a care in the world. She was quietly sucking her thumb.

The sight warmed Elena's heart.

But wait!

Who had calmed her down and gotten her to go to sleep? Who had placed her in the playpen? Because it certainly hadn't been her!

Then again, who had wrapped a blanket around herself while she had been sleeping?

There could have only been one person that did this.

One man.

"Damon," Elena whispered quietly.

He was quite literally turning into her life saviour. Not only was he helping her keep her daughter, he was actually taking care of them. He had obviously rocked her daughter to sleep. And he had made sure she got a few hours too.

A huge smile began to light up her face.

Damon Salvatore was a tough one to figure out. When she met him the first time, he waltzed in here with his expensive lawyer clothes and tough act. She had actually thought he was a bit pompous.

But there was something in his eyes. She could spot a little bit of warmth in his ice blue eyes;

eyes that reminded her of someone. But she just couldn't figure it out! And it frustrated her a bit.

Usually, she was quite good at remembering people. But she would have remembered meeting such an intriguing person as Damon, right?

Anyway, he was very fascinating. This second time around, she had gotten to see behind the rough exterior, behind all the macho façade. And she liked what she saw.

If he really was who he pretended to be, he wouldn't have let her sleep.

He wouldn't have cared if her daughter had screamed her lungs out.

He wouldn't have covered her in a blanket.

So there was only one answer here: Damon Salvatore cared more than he wanted to admit.

Elena knelt down in front of her daughter's sleeping form and sighed.

"Is it wrong that I'm attracted to him? It's been so long since a man has even been in my life. And here I go, falling for my lawyer. I must be out of my mind…"

Damon stalked up towards 'The Mystic Grill', ready for a lot of alcohol. He hadn't even bothered leaving this godforsaken town and heading for his own local bar in Richmond.

He was in such desperate need for a drink that he just thought of the one bar this town actually had.

He pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Surprisingly, it still looked a lot like it did back then. His old pool table still stood in the corner. The bar was the same.

Nostalgia was a bitch! It reminded him of the soft ass he had been back then. And he had come here to forget that he was soft!

His boots clicked on the floorboards when he walked towards the bar.

Some girls in the corner had noticed him and were checking him out, causing Damon to smirk.

O yeah, he still had it!

Winking at the swooning women, he sat himself down and ordered a drink; the same one he always ordered when he wanted to get wasted.

"Bourbon. Neat."

The bartender nodded at him and fixed him his drink.

Damon felt a headache coming on and he wasn't even drinking yet.

What he had done this afternoon was ridiculous! He had comforted the one girl that had made his life a living hell in high school.

He was supposed to make her pay!

Instead he found himself pouring her coffee, covering her up with a blanket, actually caring that her brat had kept her up all night!

And worst of all, he had rocked her child to sleep. He had actually rocked her! He had let her snuggle her small body against his chest and held her in his arms!

HE HATED CHILDREN!

Or so he had thought. He had always thought of them as drooling, snivelling creatures. But Charlotte had touched something in him that was beyond his comprehension. When she looked at him with her big brown eyes, his heart melted a little.

And that was not okay!

He wasn't supposed to feel here. He wasn't supposed to long to go back towards that house and wrap them in his arms!

He chugged his bourbon back in one go and ordered one after the other.

"Hey there sexy! Wanna buy me a drink?" a sultry voice breathed next to him.

Damon turned on his barstool and blinked a few times.

No, that couldn't be! That would be too good to be true!

Caroline Forbes was still very recognisable and hadn't lost her looks. Her blonde hair flowed over her shoulders in waves and she was dressed to kill. She was obviously on the prowl here.

As soon as Damon realised this, he smiled like a Cheshire cat.

She couldn't have come at a better time.

He was going to tear her down!

The thing was, he wasn't quite sure yet how he was going to do it. Should he fuck her and then toss her aside? Or should he humiliate her in the middle of this bar, like she had done to him in the cafeteria?

He could spot her friends a few feet away. They were sitting at a table, watching Caroline trying to pick him up.

Perfect!

He had decided on his strategy.

Screwing her was probably not even an option for him anyway. He was too revolted by her. He hated her too much to probably even get it up in the first place.

Sure, he hated Elena too. But she still had this amazing allure that somehow drew him in. Sleeping with her would certainly not be a chore.

He found himself looking forward to it.

Right, back at the task at hand here!

"Excuse me!" Caroline said to him when it took him too long to respond.

Damon casually glanced her way.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I wasn't aware of you," he gave her a fake apology.

Caroline's smile dropped a little and Damon knew why: She was used to being noticed.  
>Men had always looked her way, even in high school.<p>

So his line probably threw her off a little but she quickly recomposed herself.

"Well, now that I've got your attention, what about that drink?" she said, way too chipper for his taste.

Damon continued his game. He frowned at her in played confusion.

"What drink?" he asked.

Caroline's smile dropped again.

Good, she was becoming uncomfortable!

"That drink that you were going to buy me," she explained herself, a little irritated at his attitude.

Damon chuckled for her benefit.

"O honey, I'm not going to buy you a drink," he turned her down.

Unfortunately, Caroline took it the wrong way on purpose. She trailed a finger up and down his arm, causing Damon to shudder a little.

"What ARE you going to do with me, then?" she practically drooled in his ear.

Damon pulled his arm back from her awful touch.

"I'm not going to do anything with you."

Caroline would not back down. She practically pushed her breasts into his side and pouted at him.

"Why not?" she whined.

Damon smirked.

It was time for the kill; it was time to do the exact thing she had done to him twenty years ago.

He wanted her to run from this bar like he had run that day all those years ago.

He turned her way completely now and looked her up and down with a look of disdain on his face.

"Really? Have you seen you? There is no way in hell I would ever go out with you, so why don't you just run along before this entire bar starts laughing at you!" he repeated her exact words from all those years ago.

He had memorized them and now he got to use them on her.

It felt incredible!

Revenge really was sweet.

He noticed her friends choking on their drinks at his words; they had heard the entire thing.

Good!

Caroline paled visibly. She was completely flabbergasted; her mouth opened and closed in gasping breaths.

"Jerk!" she hissed at him, before whirling around and stomping back over towards her friends, who were laughing by now.

"The great Caroline Forbes, turned down for the first time. How does it feel?" Damon heard one of those friends say.

"Shut up!" Caroline snapped at him.

Damon turned back around, smiling to himself.

He had wanted to do something like that for so long! He felt good about himself. The awkward teenager was really gone now.

He had dethroned the queen.

Damon grabbed his glass of bourbon, gulped it down quickly and walked passed Caroline's table with proud strides before leaving the bar.

He had come here because he had thought he was weak. He had wanted to drink himself silly.

But he suddenly felt revived again.

He wasn't weak. Elena and Charlotte had just thrown him a temporary curveball. But now the badass was back.

He was going to carry on with his plan. Now that he had gotten a taste of what revenge felt like, he couldn't wait for more.

One down, one to go.

He checked himself into the Mystic Hotel for the night. He had drank too much to drive back home. And it worked better this way. He already had all of his work on Elena with him.

He would show up on her doorstep first thing in the morning.

And he wasn't going to stop this time, until he had her in his bed….

**Don't worry. This won't be the last we see of Caroline Forbes. I still have plans for her ;) **

**Let me know what you think in a review!**

**Twitter: Sandy1983b**


	5. Chapter 5

Spending time

"Mr. Salvatore? Did I forget we had an appointment?"

Damon watched as Elena frowned upon seeing him on her doorstep. He had followed through on his plan to show up first thing in the morning.

If he was going to make this work, he needed to spend time with her.

He put his flirt on and smiled sweetly at her.

"No, you didn't forget. I just needed to talk to you about something. I hope this doesn't inconvenience you?"

He saw his approach having the desired affect. She smiled back at him and stepped aside to let him in.

Damon casually strolled into her house, expecting to hear the squeals of a particular little girl that had somehow touched him. But it was strangely quiet.

"Where's Charlotte?" he therefore asked.

Elena sighed.

"It's Saturday, Damon. On weekends, Charlotte stays with her father," she told him, almost pouting.

Damon could see that this was hard on her; saying goodbye to her child every weekend. He could only imagine what that must be like.

He sat down on the couch and looked at her apologetically.

"I'm sorry. I forgot all about the weekend. I work too much."

Elena laughed at this.

"I'll bet you do! So what brings you by? Do we have to go over court dates again?"

Damon shook his head and looked up at her from under his lashes. He was told it made women crazy when he did that.

"Honestly, I'm not here for anything work related," he told her.

He could see her swallowing nervously. She fidgeted in her seat.

"Oh?" she said a little breathless.

Damon had done something like this a thousand times before. Picking up women had never been an issue for him since college.

So why was he feeling a little nervous now? He felt like that school kid again, standing at Elena Gilbert's table in the cafeteria.

Only now, the outcome would be different. He would make sure of that.

"This is completely unethical what I'm doing here. But I want to spend some time with you. I want to get to know you better," he threw out there.

Elena was biting her lip now; a trait she already had when she was 15. He had found it highly intoxicating then. Apparently, that was also the case right now.

He felt his heart jump a little at the gesture.

'_Come on, Damon! Don't let her get to you again!_' he found himself thinking.

"Okay," Elena finally breathed.

Damon's face almost split in two at the smile that was forming on it. At least he had that. She turned him down when he was 15, she wasn't turning him down now.

"Well then. Do you have some time today? I heard about this quarry here in Mystic Falls. Maybe we could stroll there?" he suggested.

Elena nodded.

"Sure, that sounds nice."

An hour and a cup of coffee later, they were well on their way. They were walking side by side, breathing in the fresh morning air.

Damon had his hands shoved in his pockets and he found himself not really sure were to begin. Here he was, the biggest player in Richmond, and he found it difficult to find words with a woman; with THIS woman.

"So..," Elena therefore began. "Did you grow up in Richmond?"

Well then, already a question he had to lie about! He couldn't come out and say he grew up in Mystic Falls. She would get suspicious.

"No, I grew up not very far from here. Just a small town."

Elena nodded, buying it. He hoped she wouldn't ask anything else about it.

"But you lit on out of there and became a big shot lawyer in Richmond. Why did you want to become one?"

Damon thought long and hard about that one. Lawyers always had a reputation. He just needed to put into words why this was his passion.

"In the beginning it was because of justice. But that fantasy is quickly shot to hell as you also sometimes have to defend people that are guilty. I don't know. I love standing in that court room and having all the power as I win a case. It makes me feel important; a part of the world. I just love having people listening to me," he winked at her jokingly.

Elena let out a small laugh. A sound that sounded like music in his ears; he absolutely loved making her smile!

They looked at each other for a second, the air crackling around them. Damon held her gaze and knew this wouldn't take long. He would have her in his arms in no time. The pull between them was too strong to resist.

"I find it kind of funny," Elena mentioned. "It's funny how you love the spoken word and I love the written word."

Damon agreed with her on that one. They both had a thing for words.

"So that's why you became a journalist?" he asked her.

Elena frowned for a second.

"Well, my dream was to become a writer; a novelist. But that plan never came through. I was never published. I didn't want to waste my education, so that's why I applied for the job at the Mystic Falls Gazette."

Damon was quickly beginning to see that this once popular girl in high school, didn't end up where he'd thought. He would've thought her to have everything she wanted. To be adored by the population of Mystic Falls. Instead, she wound up at a job she never really wanted, met a man that left her after their baby was born and was now a single mother, working hard to raise a kid all by herself. And on top of that, she was being hauled into court by her ex, that wanted to raise said kid.

He found himself wondering once again, if he should go through with this. Clearly, life had already thrown her a few curveballs.

"What is it?" Elena asked him softly, as she caught him pondering.

Damon looked at her with a strange longing in his heart. He felt the need to protect her, instead of destroying her.

"I'm thinking I have a lot of respect for you; for the way you handle things. Life can't be easy for you and yet you have your head held up high," he told her.

And he meant it. She was handling things remarkably well.

He caught her blushing at his words.

"Thank you," she whispered.

'_O kill me now! I'm beginning to like her! I'm beginning to like the girl that made me want to_ switch _schools when I was young!_' he thought.

"So how did you meet Stefan?" he quickly changed the subject.

He watched as she tensed up at the mention of her ex. Where things really that bad between them?

"We met in college. He was everything I wanted at that time. You see, I was a bit different back then. I wanted to be popular. I wanted to be with the in-crowd. My friend Caroline introduced us at a frat party. Stefan was a popular football player. Every girl wanted to be with him. So I went for it. Everything was great in the beginning. We dated. We had fun. And eventually we got married. But life quickly began to get in our way. Stefan got frustrated as he didn't make it as a football player. He was accepted in college on a football scholarship, so his grades weren't anything worth mentioning. He began to work as a mechanic and that had never been his dream. He became bitter and angry all the time. I guess that is what eventually killed our marriage. I found out later that, when I was pregnant with Charlotte, he cheated on me with several women. I was crushed. That's why I filed for divorce after Charlotte's birth."

Damon remained quiet at her revelations. Stefan sounded like a damn fool! Here he had a wonderful woman and daughter and yet he was bitter in life? What a bastard!

Was what Elena said true though? Had she really changed? Because she still referred to Caroline as her friend. Were they still talking? At the bar, it didn't look like Caroline had changed all that much. Why would Elena still want to be friends with someone like that?

Unless she still wanted to be part of the in-crowd. And that would mean she hadn't changed at all.

Damon was confused. He was constantly fighting himself when it came to this woman.

"We're here," Elena pulled him out of his musings.

Damon looked up to see the beautiful waters of the quarry. He loved coming here when he was young. This place was so secluded and peaceful. It always helped him to clear his head.

They sat down at the edge of the rippling water and stared ahead of them.

"What about you? Where you ever married?" Elena wanted to know.

Damon released a harsh laugh.

"I'm not the marrying kind. Trust me."

He felt Elena watching him closely, observing him. He could feel that she wanted to read him, she wanted to get inside his head.

Well, he wasn't going to let that happen!

"Why not? Bad experience? Has someone hurt you?" she asked him.

Damon found himself gulping at her words.

'_Yes, Elena. You are the one that hurt me. You are the one that made me lose my faith in women,'_ he thought. But he wasn't going to say that out loud.

Elena scooted closer until he could feel her warmth radiating next to him.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. But please don't let this one person be the representation for all women. There are some good ones out there."

Damon turned his head her way and stared into her eyes.

She was sitting so close to him now, their thighs were touching. Damon felt the heat shooting up his leg.

She was killing him here!

Her eyes seemed to focus on his lips now.

Damon felt his heart beginning to pound against his ribcage. There was a fire in his loins that could not be put out.

'_Do it, Damon! This is what you wanted. Take her, taste her, brand her and then toss her aside. DO_ _IT!_' his mind yelled at him.

He raised a hand up to put a curly lock of hair behind her ear; a move she followed with hungry eyes.

She wanted this. The desire was evident in her look.

He could see how fast her heart was beating at the base of her throat.

So he did it.

He tangled one of his hands in the brown locks behind her head and pulled her in.

The moment his lips met hers, something happened inside of him. It was like an eruption of passion. Liquid fire poured through his veins as his lips glided over hers.

When she let his tongue in, it was even better. No kiss had ever made him feel this way. He didn't know if it was because of the fact that he was kissing someone who was once his enemy, but he felt a longing so strong, he wanted to devour her right there.

He could hear her soft moan, as his tongue lazily tangled with hers. Her hands tightly grabbed on to his shirt, pulling him even closer.

Damon's hands roamed over her body. He stroked her back, glided his fingers teasingly down her sides and stopped at her hips, just above the swell of her behind.

When he felt his cock stirring he quickly released her, both breathing harshly.

"Damn!" he said out loud.

He could easily picture this spiralling out of control. And that was too soon. He still needed to do this case. If they did this now, it would already be over before it began.

He needed to build this up slowly.

He quickly got to his feet, pulling her up with him.

"Come on. I should get you back."

She smiled up at him so sweetly, his heart positively ached. And he knew right then and there that he stopped the kiss, not because he was worried about the case, but because he was afraid of his own feelings…

**A/N: A big thank you, again, for the amazing Jaana. My beta. Thank you so much for your kind and uplifting words about this story!**

**Please review!**

**Twitter: Sandy1983b**


	6. Chapter 6

Like lovers do

Damon sighed at the sight of all the scattered papers around him. The due date for handing in his evidence to the judge in Elena's case was tomorrow, so he needed to finish this. But he was not getting his work done. That kiss from a few days ago still lingered in his mind.

How was it that one single woman could control him so much? He had dated tons of women. None of them had mattered; none of them struck a cord.

But Elena did.

He felt the insane need to possess her in every way possible. He wanted to dominate her mind, body and soul.

Was he on her mind as much as she was on his? Because the whole idea here had been to get under her skin. But for some reason, it was the other way around now.

He was weak when it came to her. He hardly even recognised himself anymore. The bad boy that only cared about being the boss in the court room and only used women for his own personal pleasure was fading, and he didn't like it.

This plan he had for Elena was quickly backfiring on him because he honestly wasn't sure if he would be able to walk away afterwards.

He had talked to Elena about taking this slow. He needed to focus on the case first. He needed to win this before he could win her. If he slept with her now..

Just the thought was enough to make his blood to be pumped south. His body was craving it badly. But like he said; case first, plan later.

Ric knocked on his door and entered.

"Hey man. Your date from last week keeps calling the office. What did you do to her?" he asked Damon jokingly.

Damon frowned.

What date?

He looked at Ric with a puzzled look on his face.

"Let me guess. You don't remember who I'm talking about. You date too many women, Damon Salvatore!" Ric laughed, shaking his head. "Anyway, her name is Sage. Does that ring a bell?"

Damon nodded. Now he remembered her.

"What did she want?" he wanted to know.

"You promised to call, Damon. Why didn't you call?" Ric imitated the hurt female.

Damon leaned back in his chair.

"Honestly, she was wild and hot. But for some reason she didn't interest me at all," he explained to his friend.

Alaric arched an eyebrow.

"Anything that has a vagina interests you. What is up with you, Damon?"

Damon shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know. We went out. We danced. We had fun. But she couldn't quite capture my attention. Therefore, I ended the evening and dropped her off at her house."

Ric's eyes almost bugged out of his head.

"You didn't sleep with her?" he squeaked.

Damon looked down at his desk, almost embarrassed to admit it.

"No."

Ric's mouth opened and closed like a fish on dry land. He was confused.

"Okay, who are you? And what have you done to my friend?"

Damon got up from his seat and pretended to be busy putting something in the file cabinet.

"It's the Elena case, isn't it?" he could hear his friend say behind him. "Don't do it, Damon. Don't turn into that guy that worshipped the ground she walked on and wanted to wait on her hand and foot. Don't lose yourself over her."

Damon straightened his back and turned around to glare at Ric.

"She is NOT changing me!" he snapped.

"She already has changed you. You stopped sleeping with other women. You sit here holed up in your office with her file in your lap. I'm starting to see 15 year old Damon again."

Damon felt himself fuming. 15 Year old Damon had been dead and buried. He was NOT coming back!

"Maybe it's better if you stop this plan of yours all together. I will take over the case and you can stop seeing Elena because this is not good for you," Rica offered.

Damon stomped back over towards his desk, cleaned up all the papers on Elena and pushed them aside. He then placed his palms flat on his desk and leaned forward menacingly.

"I will only say this once, so listen very carefully. You are NOT taking this case from me. I am NOT turning into my 15 year old pussy self, and Elena is NOT changing me. I need to do this for myself. Maybe this will help me get some peace with the past. You're not taking that from me," he spat.

Alaric put his hands up in surrender.

"Okay, I got it. Now there's the attitude I've been missing for the past few days!" he smirked. "Listen, I didn't mean to come down so hard on you. If Elena really has changed and you're falling in love with her, I'm happy for you. But I was there when she hurt you. I don't want to see you go through that again."

Damon scowled.

"I'm not falling in love with her," he promised.

Ric nodded.

"Good. Then you have nothing to worry about….."

Damon parked his car in front of Elena's house, getting ready to pick her up for a nice date out on the town. Nothing special. Just some dinner and dancing.

Things were better for him again. After his talk with Ric he knew what he needed to focus on. So he had finished all of his evidence for the judge, handed them in on time and had his eye back on the prize now; winning this case and getting some closure for the past.

And that meant getting hot and heavy with Elena, before telling her who he really was.

But not tonight, though. Tonight he just wanted to enjoy himself with her. They were still taking things slow, but a nice date was okay.

He got out of the car and walked up towards her front door. When she opened up, however, he could see something was wrong. She looked cranky.

"O Damon. I'm so sorry. Stefan just called me 5 minutes ago. Apparently, he and Katherine are both sick with the flu and can't take care of Charlotte. So she is still here. I can't go out right now," she apologized.

Damon smiled at her reassuringly.

"That's okay. It's not your fault. But maybe we could stay in then? I could cook you some dinner and after Charlotte is asleep, we could watch a movie?" he offered.

Elena's cranky scowl turned into a bright smile, causing Damon's heart to beat just a little faster. She really was so beautiful!

"I would love that, Damon!" she exclaimed.

Damon walked into her house, seeing Charlotte sitting in her high chair. She was playing with a rattle, shaking it back and forth. When he entered, her big eyes focused on him. For some reason, she seemed to already recognise him. She flashed him a big smile.

"Hey there, little girl," he said to the 8 month old baby, ruffling the few hairs she had on her head as he walked by her.

Charlotte gurgled happily.

"She likes you," Elena smiled at her daughter's attempt at getting Damon's attention.

"I hope her mommy likes me too," Damon winked at her shamelessly, causing Elena to blush profusely.

"Anyway, I promised to cook for you. What items do you have in your fridge?" he asked.

Elena guided him into the kitchen and showed him her refrigerator.

Damon scanned the items in there, pondering what to make of them. He quickly came up with an idea.

"Okay, I got it. Now shoo. You can't peek," Damon told her.

Elena scowled at him, but did as he told her anyway.

Half an hour later, he had come up with a pretty decent meal, even if he said so himself. Elena had already set the dinner table and had placed Charlotte at the table in her high chair.

"Now what is that delicious smell?" Elena asked him, as she watched him carry a large pan towards the table.

Damon walked around the table and pulled Elena's chair back, behaving like a gentleman. Elena smiled up at him with her brown doe eyes.

"Thank you," she said sweetly.

Damon sat himself down and pulled the lid of the pan, revealing his makings.

"Low and behold; Pot roast!"

Elena's mouth positively began to water. Charlotte had her own vegetable puree, specially made for babies.

"This really is wonderful, Damon. Thank you so much for turning a disaster into something great," Elena said gratefully.

Damon stared at her from across the table, capturing her gaze.

"You're welcome."

Elena quickly looked away, focussing her attention on feeding Charlotte her vegetable mash. The entire scene made Damon's heart clench in his chest. It felt all too comfortable and homey. He could easily picture himself coming home to a scene like this.

'_Stop this, Damon!'_

Damon focussed on his food and tried not to let his mind wander too much. He was not getting this family. That was for sure. If he carried on with his plan, Elena would never want to hear from him again.

He looked up to find Charlotte smiling at him again with a mouth covered in green mush. Apparently, she was done eating and was trying to capture his attention again.

"I think I'm competing with my daughter here," Elena smiled at Charlotte's antics.

Damon laughed.

"I think I can manage to divide my attention."

When Damon smiled back at Charlotte, she let out a squeal, grinning from ear to ear.

"O man! She's already a big flirt! And she's not even walking yet!" Elena groaned.

"You better prepare for when she's a teenager, then. It will only get worse from here," Damon let her know with a smile.

After dinner, Elena cleaned up her daughter, while Damon cleaned up the table. He put everything in the dishwasher. When he walked by Charlotte to get the last item off the table, she raised her hands at him.

She wanted to be held.

"O Charlotte, you are notorious!" Elena laughed at the scene.

Damon froze, a little unsure of what to do. Sure, he had already held her once. But that was out of desperation. He didn't want to wake her mother. But now..

This was a child. Getting back at Elena didn't mean he wanted to hurt her kid too. But he realised now it was sort of automatically. If he wormed his way into Elena's life, he was worming his way into Charlotte's too. She would get attached to him. He would hurt an innocent baby.

O fuck! He really needed to think things over here!

Charlotte's bottom lip began to tremble, when she realised he wasn't reaching out for her. O hell! She was going to throw a tantrum!

"If you want to spare your eardrums, you better pick her out of that chair," Elena advised him.

At the first wail, Damon hauled her out of her seat and held her a little uncomfortably. This kid was a manipulator! She had somehow gotten her way. Charlotte didn't care though. She had gotten her wish and snuggled against Damon's chest. All wails ceased immediately.

"You know what? You sit down with her, while I clean up the rest. If you let her go now, none of us will get any rest for the rest of the night," Elena said.

Damon nodded and sat down on the couch with the baby-girl.

"What am I going to do with you?" he sighed at the child, who was now sitting up and staring at him intently.

"Why do you like me? Trust me, I'm not a nice man," he let the girl know as soon as Elena was out of earshot.

Charlotte just gurgled at him.

"You are too cute, you know that. And I'm sorry that your Dad is such an ass. He is wrong for wanting to take you away from your Mommy."

Charlotte laid her head down on his chest again and closed her eyes, sighing. Damon could tell by her breathing that she fell asleep instantly.

Here he was, a man full of hate and frustration; a man that hated children and treated women like crap. And yet he was cuddling with a small child while being nice to her and her mother. Maybe Alaric was right. He was changing.

"Is she asleep?" Elena whispered at him as she caught sight of her daughter against his chest.

Damon nodded.

Elena smiled gratefully.

"Good, then I will get you all to myself for the rest of the night."

She picked the baby off of his chest and carefully carried her upstairs towards her bedroom, leaving Damon alone with his thoughts.

He really was a jerk for involving a child here! There was no way that this could end well. He wanted to finish the trial for Elena and for his own peace of mind. But maybe, where the plan was concerned, he needed to call it off. As much as it pained him to let Elena off the hook, none of this was Charlotte's fault.

After tonight was over, he would tell Elena that he needed some space. She would probably hate him, but what else was new? She never liked him as a teenager anyway. He got used to it.

"Are you ready for movie night?" Elena pulled him out of his musings.

Damon looked up at her to find her holding some romantic comedy. He groaned out loud.

"A chick flick? Really?"

Elena pouted at him.

"But I like this movie," she whined.

Damon sighed, relenting.

"Fine."

Elena put the DVD in the DVD player and sat down next to him. Halfway through the movie he noticed her working up the courage to cuddle closer to him. She laid her head on his shoulder and casually draped an arm across his waist.

Damon chuckled at her subtlety. Her daughter was way blunter than she was!

Unfortunately, her proximity was really affecting him. He could smell the sweet scent of her hair. He could feel her fingers idly playing with his shirt. But mostly, he could feel the heat radiating from her body. It caused his throat to become very dry.

All of a sudden, Elena raised her head, looking deeply into his eyes.

"I want to kiss you," she bluntly said.

Okay, so maybe she did learn a thing or two from her daughter!

Damon felt his heartbeat accelerate. He licked his very dry lips.

"Then kiss me," he breathed.

She didn't need to be told twice She pressed her lips against his. It began slowly, with her nipping softly against his lips. But the need for more became overwhelming. He took over from her soft approach and slid his tongue into her mouth.

He felt himself harden at her soft moan.

'_What happened to taking things slow here, Damon? What happened to telling Elena this wasn't going to happen anymore?'_ his mind screamed at him.

But his body was taking over. He kissed her feverishly, palming the back of her head to control his angle. She was very eager in returning his passionate kiss. She rubbed her tongue against his, while her hands began to wander over his chest. They stopped at the hemline of his shirt, before disappearing underneath it to touch his bare skin.

It caused a surge of fire to race through him and his free hand slid down to caress her thigh.

"Damon," she whispered breathlessly.

"I know," he moaned.

This was heating up way too fast! Damon needed to stop this. But instead, he found himself lifting her up and guiding her legs around his waist so she was sitting in his lap. The action caused her sex to be pressed intimately against him. She could probably already feel how much he wanted her, but he didn't care.

Her tongue did things to him that had him losing control. He palmed her breast through her top, massaging it.

Elena mewled on top of him. A sound that had his hips thrusting upwards on their own accord. She began to roll her hips against him.

"Wait!" Damon hissed suddenly.

Elena pulled back, confused.

"What? What did I do?"

She looked so beautiful on top of him. All flushed from their making out. But he couldn't do this.

"Too fast," he breathed harshly.

Elena climbed off of him and sighed.

"You're right. Way too fast," she agreed.

Damon took a deep breath, collecting himself.

What did he want to do with this? If he was smart, he could end this right now. He could tell her who he was. He had her eating out of the palm of his hand. By the way she had reacted to his kisses, she was ready to sleep with him. The plan could come to an end. He would tell her who he was and walk out of her life before he wound up hurting Charlotte too.

'_If you want to do this, do it now, Damon! This way, she's the only one to get hurt. You'll have to let Alaric take over the case afterwards, but you'll get what you came for. DO IT!'_

Damon opened his mouth to speak, but found there was no sound coming out. He choked on his own words.

Elena failed to notice his inner struggle and laid her head back down on his chest, sighing contently.

Meanwhile, Damon was beating himself up. Here he had the chance to destroy her and he passed it up. Alaric was right; he was turning into his 15 year old pussy self.

He needed to change something about this….

**A/N: Yep, so overall this chapter was dripping with cuteness. I wanted to give you guys some happiness after all the drama on TVD. And there were a lot of requests that I bring baby Charlotte back. So here you go. But unfortunately, Damon is not done with his inner struggle yet. The bad boy is still there and he is still fighting his feelings for Elena. What did Damon mean with that last sentence? What is he going t change? You'll have to find out next chapter..**

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**Livejournal: Sandy1983b**


	7. Chapter 7

A boy becomes a man

_Damon looked around the overpowering court room. He loved being in places like this. Court rooms made him feel like he was in control of everything; like nothing could touch him. It made him feel like a god. _

_He casually strolled into the big place, his cocky attitude in full swing. He caught several women on the benches checking him out as he walked by. Damon grinned arrogantly: This was what he loved. _

_He looked over at HIS chair, the one he would be sitting in during the trial. He found Elena sitting right next to it. Right, he was here for Elena's case. _

_He smiled widely, while eagerly making his way towards her. But something was off. The closer he got to her, the more disgusted the look on her face became. Wait, was she looking at HIM like that? Why? _

_When he reached her, she turned away from him completely. It was as if she didn't even want to look at him anymore. Had he done something wrong? Did he lose the case? _

_Reluctantly, he sat down in his seat and waited for what was about to come. Elena still wouldn't look at him. On the other side of the room, he saw his opponent Klaus Smith grinning like an idiot. He looked like the cat that swallowed the canary. _

"_All rise!" he heard someone bellow. _

_The judge was entering the room and his blue eyes nearly bugged out of his head when he saw who it was. Caroline Forbes was staring him down. With the look in her mocking eyes, she made him feel like a complete loser again. _

_O great! Now he didn't stand a single chance to win this case. No wonder Elena felt uncomfortable! _

_Speaking of Elena, she had just gotten up from her seat, looking at Judge Caroline. _

"_Is there a problem, Miss Gilbert?" Caroline asked. _

_Elena cleared her throat. _

"_Yes, I would like to defend myself. This lawyer is no good for me."_

_As she spoke the words, she looked Damon dead in the eye. A vicious smile began to grace her features. Damon just looked at her in shock. _

"_What's the matter, Elena?" he almost squeaked under her menacing gaze. _

_Now, she turned his way completely._

"_Did you think that I wouldn't find out; that I wouldn't see it? You're still the ugly nerd you were back in High School! Once a geek, always a geek!" she laughed. _

_It was a nauseating and shrill laugh that shot straight through his heart. _

_She knew._

_He turned around to find everyone laughing at him; Caroline, Klaus, Elena, her ex husband Stefan and his new girlfriend Katherine. _

_They were all making fun of him. The laughter became louder and louder, until he sat almost hunched in his seat. _

_A mirror appeared out of nowhere, showing him his face. He paled once he saw his appearance. _

_The retainer was back, the bad hair was back, the muscle-less body, everything was back and gone was the man he once was. Fifteen year old Damon was staring back at him, making him cringe. _

_He jumped up from his seat, backing away from all the mockery. He found himself doing what he did all those years ago; he ran._

Damon bolted upright in bed, his heart racing a mile a minute. When he looked around his fancy apartment, he knew everything was fine again.

It had been a dream.

But some dream it had been!

He swung his legs over the side of his bed and sighed, burying his head in his hands.

The dream represented his worst fear: becoming a loser again.

After all this time he still worried about what everybody thought of him, what SHE thought of him. He already said to himself that this needed to stop. He missed being the bad boy. He did not want that other side of him to ever come out again!

He got up and padded over towards the bathroom. The mirror showed him the exterior of the bad boy. But the interior was changing, he could feel it.

He had chickened out a few nights ago, even though he could've done it. He could have had his easy revenge on Elena, just to walk away afterwards with his head held high.

But he didn't.

Damon stared into his own eyes in the mirror. They were bloodshot from all the worrying.

"Pussy!" he yelled at himself.

He wasn't that boy anymore! The bad hair was gone, replaced by perfect raven locks. He had perfect teeth, stubble that made his face look even more gorgeous and manly (he had been told so by many women) and a toned and muscled body that a lot of men would kill for.

He had slept with the most difficult challenges when it came to women. He always won. So dragging Elena to his bed would be a picnic compared to that. He needed to remind himself of his qualities. And Elena was already more than willing.

Damon turned on the shower and stepped under the hot spray of water.

She would be a fool not to want him!

His mind began to wander as drops of hot water dripped down his back and over his naked ass. The touch of the water became the touch of her hands.

She had become so beautiful over the past twenty years, so curvaceous. He had felt it a few nights ago. Her breasts had been so full. Maybe it was because of the fact that she had had a baby, but they were so plump.

He groaned as he felt himself harden at the imagination of her.

She had been so compliant when he had kissed her. He had felt like he was about to spontaneously combust when she had rubbed herself against him. Why had he stopped himself? He already could have been inside of her; he already could have felt the walls of her sex hug him.

Damon let his hand slide down between his legs and took himself in his hand. A loud moan escaped him as he began to stroke himself.

This was what he had come to: getting himself off at the imagination of her, when he could have the real deal!

'_When you're done with this, you're going to get dressed and then you'll pay her a visit. If you don't, you're going to drive yourself crazy! You can't be that boy anymore. So be the bad man you were up until a few weeks ago and do it! Get in, get off and get the hell out!' _he found himself thinking.

O, what would he do to her once he got to her…

He quickly finished himself off and stepped out of the shower. Droplets of water were still trickling down his body as he searched for his phone. A woman with a baby would be awake by now.

He dialled her number and waited for her to answer, his heart pounding against his ribs in anticipation.

"Hello?" he heard her sweet voice resound against his ear.

'_Don't go soft, Salvatore! Finish this off once and for all!'_

"Hey, it's me," he almost barked into the phone. "Is Charlotte with you today?"

He couldn't do this if Charlotte was there. He needed to keep her out of this, and he also needed to keep his heart away from her. She always turned him into mush with her big eyes and reaching hands.

"Damon?" Elena sounded confused. "I just dropped Charlotte off at the day care centre. I'm heading out for work now."

"Call in sick," he ordered her.

Elena turned silent on the other end of the line.

"Damon, what is up with you?" she finally asked.

"Call in sick. I'm coming over right now."

With those final words he hung up on her. He quickly got dressed, threw on his leather jacket and headed out.

His body was already humming with the knowledge of what was to come. It craved hers so badly! He found himself hard yet again.

He floored it towards Mystic Falls. He needed to get there, and fast!

When he arrived at her house, he got out of the car and headed over towards her front door with sure steps. She wouldn't even know what hit her!

A very puzzled Elena opened the door. Damon was relieved to see she followed through on his demand to call in sick.

"Damon? You scared me on the phone. Is everything all right? Is something up with the case?" she rambled.

He didn't say anything. He just looked at her with an intense gaze, before staring at her lips hungrily.

"Damon? I need to know whats..hmpfh!"

Elena never got to finish her sentence. Damon had stepped through the doorway, pushed her against the wall and kissed her with a fiery vengeance. He felt Elena freeze for a second, before she started kissing him back hesitantly. She was obviously unsure what to think of his behaviour.

He felt the fire he had always felt for her overtake him again. He pushed the front door shut behind him with his foot, while burying his hands in Elena's hair.

His kisses were almost punishing. He was pouring everything into this; all of his anger, all of his pain, all of his insecurities. He needed this. He needed to know he was still in control here. He needed to know that she wasn't getting to him so much.

But he was failing miserably. When he felt her rake her nails across his still clothed chest, he felt that shift inside of himself again; that shift that always told him that he wanted her badly. He wanted to become one with her. He wanted to be with her, he wanted to breathe her. He never wanted to let her go.

And that angered him. He was angry at himself for feeling anything at all here. This was supposed to be just sex. But it wasn't. He didn't just want to fuck her; he wanted to worship her, he wanted to worship every inch of her fantastic body.

His hands grabbed her behind and pulled her against him, letting her feel how much he wanted her. The contact caused her to moan loudly.

"Damon," she breathed.

Why the fuck did she always say his name as if she was having an orgasm? It certainly wasn't helping him!

He was thankful that she was wearing a skirt. He could pull it up and easily get to where he wanted to touch her.

He buried his head in her neck, kissing it, while his fingers casually began to stroke her through her panties.

Her head fell back against the wall, arching her neck even better for his kisses. He laved her pulse-point with his tongue, enjoying the fact that he could feel her heartbeat go so fast. She bucked against his teasing fingers, wanting more pressure. He complied by slipping his hand inside of her panties and touching her folds.

He groaned when he felt she was already wet and ready.

"Damon, please. I need… I need.."

She was babbling. She couldn't even finish her sentence. But Damon smirked, because he knew what she needed. He slipped a finger inside of her and pressed his thumb against her clit, massaging her gently.

Elena's mouth fell open in a silent scream. She was loving every minute of this.

Damon slipped another finger inside, sliding them in and out of her in a slow pace. He knew it would drive her crazy. He felt Elena tug on his hair in desperation. It only added to his arousal.

He could hear the slippery sounds his fingers where making inside of her. It was making him insanely hot.

"Damon, I'm close," she whispered out of breath.

Damon kissed her carnally, before increasing the thrusting tempo of his fingers. Her warm juices were coating his fingers now. It would only take one touch and she would topple over the edge.

He pressed the heel of his palm against her clit and off she went. She mewled into his mouth, riding his fingers for all she was worth. And then her legs buckled.

Damon chuckled as he caught her in his arms.

"That was amazing," she said dreamily. "I would love to call in sick for that any time!"

Damon kissed her forehead gently, before releasing her and turning away. He quietly walked into her living room, sitting down on the couch. He couldn't look at her right now. Not after what he did.

"Damon? Would you mind telling me what is wrong with you today? You bark at me over the phone. You make me think something terrible is up. So I call in sick, only to find you all over me when you arrive here. Not that I'm complaining, but now you're distant again. Please, tell me!" Elena begged him.

Damon rubbed his eyes before gazing up at her. He felt a lump forming in his throat when he realised he couldn't do it. He could never destroy her. He also realised why he couldn't do it.

"I think I'm falling in love with you," he told her.

Elena opened her mouth to say something, when all of a sudden the front door opened.

"Elena? I heard you called in sick, so I came to make sure you're okay. How are…"

Everyone froze in an instant. For in walked Caroline Forbes. And for once she became speechless when her eyes landed on him. She gasped for breath, before narrowing her eyes at him.

"You!" she hissed.

Damon looked back and forth between Caroline and Elena. They were still friends? O hell, he knew it! He knew Elena was still part of that crowd!

What a fool he had been!

He needed to tread very carefully here because Caroline Forbes was about to ruin everything for him….

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	8. Chapter 8

Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep

The tension remained thick in the room as Caroline continued to glare at Damon. Elena was obviously confused, while Damon tried to stay cool.

There really was no telling what that blonde would do. Damon was sure about one thing though: With the way she was shooting daggers at him, she was bound to badmouth him to Elena.

Ugh, why was Elena still friends with that woman again?

"You two know each other?" Elena asked in a surprised voice.

Caroline took a deep breath. _'Yep, here it comes,'_ Damon thought.

"This poor excuse of a man insulted me while I was trying to pick him up! Way to hurt a woman's feelings! He completely humiliated me in front of the entire bar!" Caroline exclaimed.

'_Yes, but you humiliated me in front of a High School cafeteria. Guess what's worse..'_

Elena turned to look at Damon. She gave him a frown.

"Is that true?"

Damon swallowed at her words. Was she going to side with Caroline Forbes? Again?

He looked away from her searching eyes as he answered her truthfully.

"Yes."

The room became silent for a second. This was it, then. Elena was going to side with Caroline before he even had a real chance with her. He had just put his heart out on the line here and she was going to stomp on it, just like 20 years ago.

He felt himself shut off his emotions, before she could hurt him. The cold and heartless Damon returned. If she was going to side with that bitch, she could just stick it!

He was getting ready to get up and walk away, when a hysterical laugh could be heard.

It was Elena.

She was laughing her head off!

"Excuse me? Do you think this is funny?" Caroline hissed at her.

Damon's mouth opened and closed in confused breaths as tears were rolling down Elena's cheeks. What was going on here?

"I am sorry, Caroline. But you probably deserved it. I've seen the way you are with men. I've seen how you treat them. I think it's funny that a man finally gave you a run for your money," Elena revealed.

Damon positively gawked at her. She was defending him? She was making fun of Caroline? She would never have dreamed of doing that all those years ago!

Caroline was fuming.

"Some friend you are!" she spat at Elena.

Elena wiped away her tears and looked Caroline directly in the eyes.

"I am your friend. I am just not afraid to call you out on your shit. Damon's with me by the way. That's probably why he didn't respond to your flirting. He's my man."

Damon felt a huge smile crossing his features. Elena was on the verge of undoing all the damage she did when he was a teenager. This was what he had dreamed about then. She was making it come true now.

"You guys are an item?" Caroline asked surprised.

Elena nodded happily, while Caroline looked him up and down.

"Well, I agree with your taste in men. I'm glad you're finally moving on from that shit Stefan!"

"That's how I met him, actually. He's defending me in the custody case," Elena explained to Caroline.

Caroline arched an eyebrow.

"Really? Well, isn't he the hero, then."

Damon didn't like her tone. He still didn't trust her. It was obvious to him that Caroline Forbes was never going to like him. Only this time, he didn't give a fuck about what she thought.

"So what brought you by?" Elena changed the subject.

"Boss man said you called in sick. You never call in sick, so I was worried. Came here on my break," Caroline shrugged. "But you don't look sick to me."

"Let's just say I had other plans today," Elena winked at her friend.

"Oh," Caroline sighed, but then realisation crossed her features. "OH! I get it. Sorry, I'll get out of your way, then. Enjoy your sick day!"

Caroline hurried out of the house, leaving them alone once again.

Damon was beginning to look at Elena in a new light. He found himself eying her with newfound respect. He was finally learning that this woman was not the tormenter from his teen years anymore. She was someone new. Maybe he should learn to let go.

Elena turned around and caught him staring.

"What?" she asked him shyly.

Damon held her gaze captive and walked closer to her.

"Do you have any idea how hot you look right now?" he drawled.

He saw Elena swallowing hard at his words.

"No," she squeaked.

Damon came to a stop in front of her and raised his hand to touch her. His thumb traced her bottom lip, which was slightly quivering. It looked so full and kissable.

"You are the most amazing person I have ever laid eyes on. I look at you and I can't resist the pull you have on me. Your face is absolute perfection," he whispered seductively.

His hands followed the path of his words. He gently caressed her rosy cheeks.

"Your neck is so slender, I could place kisses on it all day," he continued.

He bent forward to gently nibble at the flesh of her throat. Elena arched her neck to allow him better access, moaning slightly.

"Your breasts.."

He let the words linger in the air as his hands wandered lower towards the swell of her chest. He continued kissing her neck, as his hands softly kneaded her breasts. Elena's head fell back completely now, small gasps leaving her as Damon worshipped her body.

Her nipples pressed through her shirt, allowing him to tease them into hard peaks. Then, his hands continued their journey, softly stroking her thighs.

"Your legs," he breathlessly said, "I want to feel them wrapped around me. I need to feel you."

His words ended in a moan. He was too far gone now. He had to have her.

Elena jumped up to wrap her legs around him, just like he said, while he finally captured her lips in a searing kiss. When her tongue met his, his knees almost buckled. He clung to her tightly, making sure he wouldn't drop her. Then, he walked with her up the stairs towards her bedroom with her clinging to him monkey style.

When he reached her bed, he gently laid her down between the sheets.

She looked so beautiful with her hair fanned out around her on the pillow, her lips swollen from his kisses, her chest heaving with arousal.

Damon's heart clenched as he realised something. This beautiful woman was his, all his.

He kicked off his shoes, before crawling on the bed with her. He gently cupped her face.

"About what you said earlier," Elena began. "I feel the same way. I'm falling in love with you too."

Damon's face almost split in two with the grin that was on his face now. This day started out bad, but it was quickly becoming one of his best days ever. Her words released a burst of energy from him, and he seared forward to capture her lips again. This time he wasn't holding back. He was pouring all of his passion into it.

Elena reached down to unbuckle his belt, before reaching inside of his jeans to grasp him in her hand.

"I need this. I need you," she whispered.

Damon wholeheartedly agreed and groaned when she squeezed him experimentally. This was finally happening. He was finally getting the girl!

Elena pushed his jeans down and he shimmied out of them until they pooled at his ankles, before crawling back up her body and kissing her senseless. He felt her arch her hips into him, making her brush up against his throbbing member.

It wasn't enough. He needed to get closer to her.

He wrapped her legs around him, grasping her behind to pull her into him. The close contact created a delicious friction between their bodies, and Elena cried out when she felt him press into her.

Damon practically ripped her top off. He wanted to feel her naked skin against his. He kissed the swell of her breasts, before pushing her bra up to take one of her nipples into his mouth.

"Damon!" he heard Elena screeching.

After his thorough pampering of her nipples, he wanted to move lower. But she pushed him out of the way and rolled them over.

"It's my turn now," she winked seductively.

Damon was all for it, so he lay back and enjoyed her exploration of his body. She licked and nibbled her way down his muscular torso, before stopping at his boxers.

She wickedly looked him in the eye and then proceeded to pull his boxers down. Was she going to..?

Before he even had time to contemplate it, she wrapped her lips around his member and engulfed him completely.

"Sweet mother of…."

RING RING

Why? WHY? Why was the phone ringing NOW?

Elena released him and reached for the intruding device, while Damon draped an arm over his eyes, trying to get his breathing under control.

"Hello?" Elena said into the phone.

'_Whoever this is, it better be damn good!'_ Damon thought.

The sound of Elena's worried voice pulled him out his musings, though. Something was up.

He opened his eyes to watch Elena speaking about something that obviously alarmed her.

"She was fine this morning. How could this happen so fast?"

Damon sat up, wincing as the move put pressure on his still present erection.

"No, of course. I'll come and pick her up right away. Thanks for letting me know. Bye," Elena said.

She sighed as she hung up the phone.

"Sorry, Damon. That was the day care centre. Charlotte is very sick. Apparently, she puked all over the place and she's crying her eyes out. They can't calm her down. I have to go and pick her up," she explained worriedly.

Damon nodded.

"Of course. I'll get dressed and get home so you can take care of your baby-girl. We can continue this some other time."

Elena bit her bottom lip, thinking something over.

"Actually, could you stay here and wait for us? I don't want you to go just yet. I know we're not going to be able to continue this, but if Charlotte is really sick I'm going to need you. Please. She's never been sick," she begged Damon.

Damon thought it over. He never liked children and he certainly didn't get along with screaming, sick children. However, this was Charlotte. And if Elena needed him…

"Okay, I'll wait," he therefore said.

Elena smiled gratefully, before reaching for the shirt he had just ripped off of her. She put it back on, while Damon pulled up his pants, wincing as he had to tuck his semi-hard erection back in his jeans.

"I'll be back soon," Elena promised.

She quickly pecked him on the lips and rushed out the door, leaving Damon behind in her bedroom.

Damon looked around the place for the first time now, finding it nicely decorated with a four poster bed in the middle of the room. She had high windows that let in a lot of light. Everything was cream coloured, with a touch of beige/brown. Some plants and flowers finished this place up nicely.

He approved.

This was a good chance to peek a little. Elena wouldn't be home for at least half an hour.

He sauntered down the hallway and opened the door to the room next to hers. It was Charlotte's. It was cutely decorated with light green walls and some Winnie the pooh pictures here and there. There was a small bed on the side of the room, a closet and a changing table.

Damon made his way over towards the changing table, when he spotted a picture on it. He carefully picked it up. Elena was staring back at him from the picture, holding a smiling Charlotte.

He found himself pondering how he could have hated this woman practically all of his life. How could he have held a grudge over something that had happened twenty years ago? What a waste! And how pathetic had he been!

This woman was the most adorable creature he had ever met, and he had wanted to hurt her. He now felt insanely guilty for all of his nasty thoughts.

He left Charlotte's room and checked a few other, unmentionable rooms, before he wandered down the stairs. He made himself some coffee and waited patiently for his women to arrive.

His women.. Now that was a nice thought..

When Elena's car pulled up into the driveway, he already heard Charlotte screaming her lungs out. And she wasn't even out of the car yet! O hell! His eardrums were in for a treat!

Elena entered the house, carrying her flailing daughter. Apparently, she hadn't been able to calm the kid down either. She looked tired and a little pale.

"It's bad, Damon. It's a nasty flu. She has a fever, she's puking everywhere and apparently, she also had diarrhoea," Elena told him, almost crying.

Damon walked up to her, wanting to comfort her, when Charlotte spotted him. Obviously she was still his number one fan, because she immediately reached for him. Her big, tearful brown eyes were practically begging him to hold her.

Damon sighed and complied, taking her from her mother and sitting down on the couch with her. He clumsily stroked the small child's back, while her full blown screaming died down into whimpering sobs. She snuggled her snotty nose into his John Varvados shirt, before closing her eyes, falling into a restless sleep on his chest.

Damon inwardly groaned.

This kid smelled like barf and shit and snot; she was ruining his expensive shirt and yet he hugged her closely, kissing the top of her head. There was no denying it anymore; he loved this little girl.

Elena wondrously sat down on the couch next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder.

Damon's throat constricted.

He was never letting them go again.

He was going to fight for them in court. Stefan and Katherine were not getting what he wanted; this family.

He was going to go through hell and back for them….

**A/N: Damon has realised a few things. Next chapter we will go to court and meet Klaus, Stefan and Katherine. Yikes! Damon and Elena are not out of the woods yet…**

**Please review!**

**Twitter: Sandy1983b**


	9. Chapter 9

Sex, lies and courtrooms

Damon glanced to his right to watch Elena twitch nervously in her seat. She was biting her lower lip and her hands were shaking. His hand automatically shot out to place it on her thigh soothingly, squeezing it.

"Try to relax. You want to come across as a strong and independent woman, who can take care of her child. I know you are nervous, but you can't let the other party see that," he told her with a soft smile.

"I'm trying, Damon! But if I do something wrong in here today, I might lose her. This strange man, who knows nothing about Charlotte, might make the decision to take her away from me."

Damon grasped her hand, holding it gently to calm her down.

"You'll do just fine. Just be yourself."

"All rise!" a voice interrupted them.

Damon got up from his seat, feeling a little nervous himself now. He was usually very calm and collected in his cases, but he had something real to lose now. He could lose this family.

When the judge, a man named George Lockwood, took his seat, everyone else sat down too. The man cleared his throat and opened up the file in front of him.

"I've read both parties' evidence and I must say I am a little disappointed in the fact that the current arrangement isn't working out anymore. It is always in the child's best interest to be looked after by both the mother and the father. What has changed?" the judge began.

Damon smirked. That was a good start. This guy was a family man, he could work with that!

Stefan's attorney Klaus got up from his seat and straightened his shoulders, ready to make an opening statement.

"My client gets that, your honour. But in all fairness, he is trying to do what's best for his child here. Miss Gilbert is a lovely woman, I am sure. But the fact remains that she is single and needs to work a lot to support herself, let alone her child. This is what concerns my client. He and Miss Pierce have seen the amount of time Charlotte spends either at the day care centre, or over at her grandmother's place. Miss Gilbert rarely has time for the child as it is."

Damon bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from shooting up from his seat in an outrage. First of all, Elena was not single anymore; she was his! And second of all, how dare they judge her situation? She worked her ass off to provide for her daughter. If that wasn't dedication, then what was?

"With my client and Miss Pierce, she wouldn't have to be dropped off at different places. She would be cared for night and day. Miss Pierce is a successful business woman who works from home. Someone would always be there for Charlotte," Klaus went on.

The judge looked pensive.

"And how does your client see this exactly? Would he allow Miss Gilbert visitation rights, should I grant him full custody?"

"My client never called Miss Gilbert a bad mother. So yes, she would have visitation rights, moments alone with her daughter."

Klaus sat back down again, smirking in Damon's direction. It was a good opening statement, Damon had to agree. But he was better!

"Mr. Salvatore?"

The judge looked in his direction. Time for some action!

He got up from his seat, feeling the energy flowing through his veins. This was what he loved about the courtroom; the power to set things to his own hand. Only this time, he also felt something primal; the need to protect what was his.

"With all due respect to your client's ideas, Mr. Smith, what century are we living in here? Research shows that it does not impair a child's welfare by letting it spend some time at a day care centre a few times a week. In fact, the research shows that it makes a child much more social if it spends some time in the company of other children. They learn to interact; they learn to share."

Damon took a deep breath, taking a moment to collect his thoughts, before continuing.

"Yes, Miss Gilbert is a single mother who has to work to provide for herself and her daughter. Don't we all? Your client is a car mechanic who isn't at home five times a week. So it would be left up to Miss Pierce to raise the child. You said it yourself, Mr Smith; she works from home. She wouldn't be able to keep her eye on Charlotte every second of every minute. She has clients to see. How exactly is that better for the child's welfare? At the day care centre, she would be watched and cared for constantly by people that are educated for this. My client pleads that the current arrangement remains as it is. She is not even applying for full custody; she wants the child to be with both its mother and its father."

Damon nodded and sat down. He said his piece.

He looked over at Elena, to find her watching him with something akin to awe.

"You're good!" she told him. "I like you all powerhouse-y."

Damon just winked at her and leaned back to see what else the judge had in store.

"You both make excellent points, counsellors. I understand Miss Gilbert will be called to the stand?" the man said.

Elena took a shaky breath and got up.

"Relax," Damon told her again.

Elena took a seat at the witness stand and Damon watched Klaus approach her. He just hoped she would make it through his attacks. Klaus was a pit-bull when it came to wanting to win his case.

"I understand that you sometimes let your daughter play with her grandmother on Wednesday's, Miss Gilbert?" he began.

Elena nodded.

"Yes. Every Wednesday morning she goes to my mother."

"And your mother is Miranda Gilbert?" Klaus asked.

"Yes."

Damon watched Klaus grasp his chin between his thumb and forefinger, contemplating something. Damon felt the cold settle in his gut. Klaus always made that move if he was stalking his prey, ready for the kill.

"The same Miranda Gilbert that was sued, after she hit a child with her car?"

Damon watched all the blood leave Elena's face. Her mouth opened and closed without any sound coming out. She was tongue tied.

"Yes or no, Miss Gilbert?" Klaus continued.

"Well, yes.. but.."

Klaus didn't even let her finish her sentence. He had her by the jugular.

"And you let your daughter play with someone who doesn't look where she's going when a child's around? Your lawyer goes on and on about how Miss Pierce wouldn't be able to constantly look after Charlotte, and yet he fails to mention that your mother had clearly not been paying attention either when she backed out of the drive way and ran over a teenager."

Damon wanted to hit Klaus as he watched Elena tear up at his cruel words. He felt awful because there was nothing that he could do right now. Klaus had to finish first before he could step in.

"To be honest, Miss Gilbert. I wouldn't feel safe leaving my child there. My client has told me of his concerns regarding Miranda Gilbert. He described her as a cold and detached woman that was incapable of giving any love."

Damon watched Elena's eyes flit over to Stefan's. It was clear that she felt betrayed by her ex.

"In my opinion, that is not a healthy environment for a child. A child needs to be held and cuddled."

"Yes, but we are not here for your opinion now are we counsellor?" the judge stepped in. "If that is all, then I would like for Mr. Salvatore to continue with the witness."

Damon felt relieved that that torture scene was over. He needed to fix things for Elena now. True, he also hated Miranda Gilbert. But he was sure that she made a great grandmother. Otherwise Elena wouldn't have left Charlotte at her place.

Damon stood up and walked over towards Elena, who looked pale and helpless at this moment.

"Miss Gilbert?" he began.

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes; the fire he once saw in them was put out. Damon couldn't wait to have Stefan on the stand the next time. He wanted to tear him limb from limb!

"Why don't you tell us what really happened with your mother and that child? Because Mr. Smith seemed to conveniently leave that part out," he told her.

Elena nodded and took a deep breath to compose herself.

"It's true. My mother got sued for hitting a teenager with her car. But it never went to court. Everybody settled, once all parties had calmed down a bit. My mother felt horrible for what had happened. It was dark that night, the teenager was riding a bike without any lighting. There was no way she would have been able to spot the girl. The girl's parents also realised that, once their initial shock settled down. It wasn't just my mother's fault; it was also the girl's fault. Apparently my ex describes my mother as a cold woman; well, if that were true, why does she still visit said teenager every other week? Why does she have a good bond with her family now? My mother has been put through hell enough over that case. She made a mistake. She's sorry."

Damon was proud of his girl. She just single-handedly crushed Klaus' words.

"If you would look at my evidence, your honour, you would see that people have testified to calling Miranda Gilbert a good grandmother. She's often spotted walking through the park with her granddaughter, playing with her and yes, Mr. Smith, even cuddling her. Mrs. Gilbert hit a child, yes. But she makes frequent visits to the family, paid for the hospital bills and from what the family told me, the teenager is doing just fine. In fact, she will be heading off for college soon."

Damon watched as the judge nodded at his words. Hurdle one was overcome.

"Do you have any more questions for your client, Mr. Salvatore?" the man asked.

Damon smiled at Elena.

"No, your honour. I think my evidence speaks for itself."

Elena looked at him with relief across her features. She was done…

"You should have seen Damon today, Charlotte. He was amazing! He's going to make sure that you get to stay with me, sweetie," Elena gushed to her child from her spot on the floor.

Charlotte was playing with some toys on a blanket on the floor, and Elena had lain down next to her, her head propped up on her chin.

Damon was sitting on the couch, watching the mother-daughter moment from afar. They were adorable.

If Stefan got his way, moments like these would become rare, so he felt no desire to disrupt them now. Instead, he became lost in his own thoughts.

When he first came back to Mystic Falls, he was a bastard, a cold and brutal man that wanted to break this woman apart. But now he wanted nothing more than to protect her. He still wasn't sure about her friendship with Caroline, but it was obvious that this beautiful creature was not someone that deliberately set out on hurting people.

He wasn't sure what had happened all those years ago when she had crushed him, but he could only explain it as being under the influence of the crowd she hung out with those days. And it seemed like she had completely distanced herself from that crowd, save for Caroline. But he could handle her now. If she ever got up in his face about something, he would tear her down!

"She's becoming tired. I'm going to put her to bed," Elena told him.

She got up from the blanket and started carrying Charlotte towards the stairs, when Damon got up from his seat.

"Wait!" he found himself calling out to Elena.

She turned around, frowning.

Damon walked over towards them and leaned forward, kissing Charlotte's chubby cheek. The baby smiled at the contact.

"Goodnight, sweetheart. I'll see you soon," he said to the baby-girl.

Elena looked at him in wonder, before turning around and carrying her daughter up the stairs.

Damon honestly didn't know what had possessed him to do that. Maybe it was just the emotions of today. He ran his hand through his hair and walked over towards the window. He got it now; he understood why his friend was blissfully whipped by one woman.

The feeling of belonging to someone was amazing.

He never heard Elena creeping up behind him, until she wrapped her arms around his torso from behind and kissed him between his shoulder blades.

"Thank you for today," she whispered.

Damon turned to look over his shoulder, to find her staring at him with big eyes.

"I don't know how I would have gotten through that ordeal without you. Stefan's lawyer was brutal."

Damon turned around completely and wrapped her in his arms.

"Trust me, Klaus is a pussycat compared to me. When Stefan gets on that stand, he won't know what hits him," he chuckled.

But Elena remained serious. All of a sudden, she leaned forward and kissed him, softly at first, but then more demanding.

Her tongue slipped between his lips and she pressed her body against him, desperate to get as close to him as possible.

Damon remained unmoving for a second, before exploding in a burst of passion and walking her backwards into a wall, taking over for her initiative. His hands wandered over towards her backside, before nudging her to jump up and wrap her legs around him.

"I want you. I want this," Elena breathed.

Damon couldn't agree more. He just hoped that this time, there would be no doorbell, no ringing telephone or a crying little girl. He hoped Charlotte slept like a log!

Elena groaned as he rolled his hips into her, needing to create friction between them. With how many times he had been interrupted during their foreplay, he was surprised if he managed to last without spilling too soon.

He carried her away from the wall and up the stairs; in the meantime his lips never left her skin. He nipped at the column of her throat, sucked on her neck and bit in her earlobe. He needed to be careful that the distraction of kissing her wouldn't have them tumbling down the stairs.

But he made it to the bedroom. He put Elena back on her feet, admiring her flushed skin and pink, wet lips. Tonight, she would be his.

He raised the top over her head and pulled it of, before grasping the zipper of her skirt. She had looked so hot today in her fancy skirt and jacket, trying to impress the judge. But now, he just needed it off of her!

He turned her around, away from him, before unzipping the skirt she was wearing and pushing it down her hips until it pooled at her ankles.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered in her ear, as he clutched her body to his again.

He ground his erection into her backside, while taking off her bra.

Her breasts were so perfect and creamy, the hardened nipples poking at his hands when he cupped them.

"Please Damon," she breathed.

Damon grinned a bit, softly biting the shell of her ear.

"What do you want, baby?" he asked her softly..

She rolled her hips back against him and locked her arm around his neck from behind, causing her breasts to be pushed into his hands even more.

"Please," she begged again.

"Say it! I need you to say the words. I need to hear them."

Elena made a little whiny noise. It was clear to him that she wasn't used to vocalizing her desires. Oh, he would definitely teach her that!

"I need you to touch me," she finally said.

Damon shook his head, smirking. Nope, not good enough. He wanted to hear more.

"Where?" he wanted to know, massaging her breasts.

Elena leaned her head back on his shoulder; her legs trembling as she unconsciously parted them. Her body clearly knew where it wanted him to touch her. She just couldn't find the words.

"Where do you want me to touch you, Elena?" he repeated his question.

He felt Elena squirming uncomfortably in his arms. She needed a little nudge.

"If you ask me, I will give it to you," he promised

Elena nodded, before replying: "Between my legs."

"Where between your legs?" he teased her a little more.

Elena groaned in frustration.

"For crying out loud, Damon! My clit! I need you to touch my clit!" she screeched at him.

Damon immediately complied, his hands flying down towards her panties, ripping them off. He then gently touched her folds, causing Elena to sag against him. He held her up with one arm, while the other teased her sex endlessly.

She let out a content sigh, riding his hand and letting out breathy little moans that turned him on even more. With each little roll of her hips against his hand, she unwillingly pushed into his erection too. Damon's eyes nearly rolled back in his head and he tried to think of other things to hold himself off.

He was actually relieved when she finally came, making her stop her undulating motions against him.

When she came down from her high, she turned around and undid his pants, determined to finish what she had started a few days ago. But Damon slapped her hands away.

"Trust me, as much as I'd love for you to do that sometimes, not now. I'm too far gone. I need to be inside of you," he told her.

Elena nodded and crawled backwards on the bed, watching him strip with hooded eyes.

My god, she was such a sight! Lying there naked and waiting for him. It was his teenage dream come true!

When he was undressed, he crawled on the bed with her, cradling himself between her hips.

"Finally," Elena whispered.

Damon couldn't agree more. He had wanted this ever since he was 15 years old.

He stroked her damp hair from her forehead and stared deeply into her eyes. He wanted to savour this moment; the feeling of love radiating from her, the intimate way her legs were wrapped around his waist, her breasts pressed up against the hard planes of his chest.

"What?" she asked when she caught his intense stare.

"Nothing. Just listening for crying babies, ringing doorbells and phones," he joked.

Elena giggled.

"Don't worry. Nothing is going to interrupt us this time."

She softly palmed his cheek, placing a loving peck on his lips. She was ready.

Damon reached between them to place himself at her entrance, coating himself in her wetness, before sliding in slowly.

Elena's head fell back on the pillow and her mouth opened in a soundless scream. Damon didn't fare any better. The feeling of her silken walls surrounding his girth, caused him to moan loudly.

When she had adjusted to his size, he began to move. He raised himself up on his elbows to be able to watch every reaction from her; he wanted to hear every sigh, he wanted to watch the bliss on her face and most of all, he wanted to see and hear her moan for him.

Elena rolled her hips against him, raising them up so he would slide in deeper. When he slid in all the way to the hilt, he couldn't hold off anymore. He jack-hammered his way into her, grasping the bedpost behind her to aid in his powerful thrusts.

The bed squeaked underneath his ministrations and the headboard bounced against the wall on a few occasions.

"O Damon!" Elena groaned.

He could feel her walls fluttering. She was close. He almost felt like she was branding him as her inner walls gripped him tightly.

"Damon, I'm coming!" she finally alerted him.

Damon reached between them to lightly dance his fingers across her clit. It was all she needed. He watched as her face contorted in pleasure and felt her nails raking down his back.

He thrust hard a few more times, before finally spilling himself. It felt like an endless orgasm. Stars were literally dancing behind his eyes as his release droned on.

When it was over, he collapsed on top of her, completely spent.

"That was so worth the wait," Elena told him with a content smile.

Damon smiled back at her and softly kissed her lips, before rolling off of her. He lay down on his back, urging her to put her head on his chest. She complied willingly, sighing as her eyes began to droop.

"You are the most amazing man I have ever met," she sighed, before falling into a sated sleep.

Damon lay awake long after that, listening to the sounds of her heavy breathing. He was happy; for the first time he was truly happy. But he still had this feeling it could all be snatched away any second. If she ever found out about his plan.. If Charlotte would be taken away from them..

He felt a sense of dread coming over him when he realised an important thing; he was going to have to be honest with her….

**A/N: I think the last sentence pretty much sums up the fact that this is far from over. I hope you are anxious to see Elena's reaction to their past together. If you are, click the review button ;)**

**I would like to thank Laynaa and Jaana, for always inspiring me and advertising my fics. They are awesome! **

**Twitter: Sandy1983b**


	10. Chapter 10

The calm before the storm

Damon sighed at the feeling of being enveloped by the warmth of both the hot water in the tub, as well as Elena being pressed against his chest. They had woken up early and had decided to take advantage of Elena's bathtub. Charlotte had still been asleep, so they could relax and enjoy the silence and each other.

"This is nice," Elena murmured.

Damon agreed whole heartedly and wrapped his arms around her petite frame.

Last night had been amazing. And then to wake up with her in his arms..

Elena laid her head back against his chest and pressed a little closer to him, causing her rear to brush up against him in an intimate way. The movement stirred up liquid fire in him, shooting straight down to his loins.

Damon took a deep breath and tried to focus on something else. They didn't have the time. Charlotte would wake up soon and he needed to get to work in half an hour.

"What are you going to do for mother-daughter day today?" he therefore asked her.

Elena moved a bit in his lap and Damon bit his lip. No time, Damon!

"The sun will be out today. So I was thinking about taking a stroll through the park. Maybe I'll bring a book and lay down a blanket. I can read and Charlotte can play," Elena told him.

Damon groaned in jealousy. He wanted to take the day off and join them. It was Friday after all. But he couldn't. He needed to prepare for the trial on Monday; he needed to map out exactly how he was going to tear Stefan down. It was in everybody's best interest if he did go to the office today.

"That sounds nice. I'm going to be cooped up in the office all day," he pouted.

Elena shifted again and Damon could feel himself beginning to get hard. He couldn't stop it. Was she knowingly teasing him? He leaned to the side a bit to watch Elena's face, but she had her eyes closed and seemed utterly relaxed. It didn't appear as if she was doing it on purpose.

"Poor baby. I'll think of you while I bask in the sun," Elena chuckled a bit.

Was she circling her hips? Damon could feel tiny movements against his member, but they were barely noticeable. Elena still had her eyes closed and was breathing deeply and evenly. Maybe he was imagining it. Maybe he was just too horny now that he finally had her.

But it was affecting him. He could feel himself straining for another one of her movements. When she shifted again he groaned loudly.

"Elena, if you don't sit still you'll have to pay the consequences!" he warned her.

Finally, she opened her eyes. He could see her smirking. So she was doing it on purpose! Evil little minx!

"I'm not doing anything," Elena said in faux shock.

"Yes, you are! Don't play innocent with me. If you press against me like that one more time..!"

"You mean like this?" Elena said huskily, while pressing her bottom more firmly against his now present erection.

"YES!" he hissed.

She began to slide her body back and forth a bit, making the water swirl around them. Her nipples peaked out from beneath the waters. Yep, she was now full blown turning him on!

"Elena, we don't have time for this! Charlotte will wake up soon and I can't be late for work," he choked.

But Elena paid no attention to his objectives. She took his hands in hers and guided them towards her breasts. Meanwhile she kept rocking against him.

Damon sighed.

"Fine. But if we are unable to finish this due to whatever, you are to blame. If I end up suffering all day, you'll be paying by tonight!"

Elena just grinned. She turned her head to look deep into his eyes, before tilting her head up and kissing him. Slowly at first, but the passion flared up quickly. In no time they were thrusting their tongues into each other's mouth.

Damon gently massaged her breasts, making her let out soft moans against his lips. She was so exquisite. Her, trembling in his arms, was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

He nudged her legs open underneath the waters and slipped one hand in between them. His fingers easily slipped between her folds. He thrust them in and out a few times, enjoying her sweet little growls.

Suddenly, she got out of his lap and stood up. Damon frowned at her in confusion.

"Where are you going?" he asked her.

Elena turned around and sat back down again, this time she was facing him.

"I was just getting more comfortable for this," she explained.

She locked her arms behind his neck and thrust her hips into his, creating delicious friction. Her nipples pressed against his chest

Damon felt like he had died and gone to heaven. If this was what his mornings would be like from now on, nobody would hear a peep out of him ever again.

Elena leaned forward to kiss him again, before grabbing his member in her hand and guiding herself down on it.

Damon felt his eyes roll back in his head at her scorching heat enveloping him. He rested his hands on her hips, waiting for her to be ready to start moving. It didn't take long. She bucked her hips hard into his, causing some water to slosh over the sides of the tub.

They both didn't care. Damon could tell that this was going to be hard and fast. It didn't matter if the floor got soaked.

With one hand, he grasped the side of the tub to aid better in his movements. The other hand was placed at her lower back, helping her roll her hips into him.

Elena threw her head back in pleasure and Damon kept his eyes open to enjoy the view of her riding him. All too soon, he felt the familiar sensation in his loins; he was going to come. But he needed her to get there first.

He angled his hips differently, so that he was hitting her G-spot. Elena's eyes flew open in surprise and she mewled like a kitten. Her reaction made Damon wonder if no one had ever reached that place inside of her.

He twisted and turned his hips, making sure to hit that sweet spot over and over again.

"Damon! O god, Damon! I can't.. I can't. O shit, that is sooooo… DAMON!" Elena screeched.

She went off like a firecracker, bucking her hips so hard that he wasn't sure there was any water left in the tub with all of her rocking. He thrust a few more times, before letting his own orgasm overtake him.

"That was.. I don't even have words to describe it. I feel like I'm boneless," Elena sighed, lying spent on his chest.

Damon chuckled a bit.

The moment was interrupted when a wail pierced the silence in the house. Charlotte was awake.

"Ah, right on time," Damon laughed.

"I don't think I can move," Elena complained at the disturbance.

Damon kissed the top of her head, before sliding out from underneath her and getting up.

"It's okay. You get your strength back. I'll get her," he offered.

Elena smiled gratefully at him, before closing her eyes and resting her head against the edge of the tub.

Damon wrapped a towel around his hips and padded over towards Charlotte's bedroom. He opened the door to find her sitting up in bed and crying her eyes out.

"Hey, what's all this fuss about? I'm here," he gently told her as he leaned over the side of the bed to pick her up.

Charlotte ceased her crying to stare at him in wonder.

"Not who you expected, huh? Sorry. I know I'm not your mother," he said with a smile.

He clutched her small body to his chest, only to scrunch up his nose when he smelled something.

"You stink, little lady!"

Charlotte squealed a bit and put a big smile on her face.

"Sure, you think it's funny. I've never changed a nappy before," he scowled.

Should he go get Elena? He glanced at the dresser and all the stuff that was on it; nappies, wipes, fresh clothes that Elena had already laid out the night before….It shouldn't be too difficult.

He walked with Charlotte towards the window to open up the curtains first. He needed some light for this. Then, he gently carried her towards the dresser and placed her on it.

"Now, you are going to have to help me here. Don't roll around too much. Try to lie still. You don't want your poop to end up everywhere, now do you?"

Charlotte stared at him with her big eyes, hanging onto every word he said as if she understood him.

"Okay, first things first. I need to get you out of these pyjamas."

He felt like an idiot for explaining all the steps to her. But he didn't know what else to do or say. And it seemed like Charlotte liked the sound of his voice. She would look at him and stop crying.

He gently pried the garment off of her without too much trouble. He looked at his work with pride.

"Success!"

Now came the hard part.

"Okay, I've seen your mother do this. It can't be too bad. Just try to lie still like I told you," he warned her.

He opened the nappy and felt his throat constrict at the sight of her makings. His gag reflex was in turmoil!

"Dear god, Charlotte! How are you able to produce this when your diet only consists of milk and mashed baby food?" he exclaimed.

Charlotte looked at him and giggled.

"Sure, laugh at me! You won't be laughing if I don't do this right!"

He threw the nappy into the bin next to the changing table and grabbed hold of a wipe. He immediately noticed the mistake he had made by throwing away the nappy. Her poop was getting everywhere.

"Damn!" he cursed.

Okay, he needed to get her clean first. Then he could worry about the dresser.

He wiped away all the poop that was attached to her bottom, meanwhile trying to control his gag reflex. He managed to get her somewhat clean. He was quite proud of himself!

He took a new nappy from the shelf above the dresser and stared at it in horror.

"Okay, what is the front and what is the back?"

He tried to remember how the nappy he had just thrown away had been placed on her.

"Well, it can't be too difficult. Your bottom just needs to be covered," he tried to relax himself.

He raised her small hips and slid the nappy underneath her. Okay, that looked like he was doing it right. Thank god Charlotte wasn't too difficult of a child! She just laid there and looked at him.

He closed the nappy and lifted her up from the dresser. Well, the thing seemed to stick. At least it didn't fall off of her! He cuddled her small body to his naked chest, enjoying the feel of her baby skin.

Charlotte snuggled into him and let out a content sigh. It made Damon's heart clench in his chest. He realised that he would protect this small human being with his life. Nobody was touching her!

"I love you, little girl," he told her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"Is everything okay in here?" Elena interrupted them, leaning against the doorpost.

She had already gotten dressed in the meantime and was watching them with awe.

Damon smiled at her.

"I just changed my first nappy. I think I did okay," he said proudly.

Elena walked over to them and examined his work. She then let out a chuckle.

"It's on backwards."

Damon rolled his eyes at her notification.

"I knew it! I spent five minutes looking at that thing to discover what was the front and what was the back."

Elena leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips.

"You did okay for your first time. And I appreciate the effort. Let me take her. I'll get her dressed. That way you can get ready for work."

Damon nodded gratefully and handed her the baby, who began to fuss at the interruption. His chest seemed to be her favourite place.

"Sorry, sweetie. I have to get dressed too. Your mommy will take care of you now," he told the whimpering girl.

Elena laughed at the way her daughter reached for him.

"I'm starting to feel a little unnecessary here. She always wants you," she said to Damon.

Damon kissed Elena's forehead in reassurance.

"You are her mother. She's always going to need you. I'm just someone new to play with."

He smiled at his girls and then walked away to get ready….

Damon walked into his office with a huge smile on his face. He could not conceal it. Carrying his briefcase over to his desk, he whistled a catchy tune.

"What has gotten you in such a chipper mood?" Alaric asked as he walked by his door.

Damon took off his suit jacket, before flopping down onto his chair with a grin.

"I don't know. The sun is shining, spring is coming… Life is great, Ric!"

Ric stepped into the room and examined him with a frown. He was analysing his behaviour. Then, all of sudden, it seemed to click for him.

"You got laid!" he exclaimed.

Damon leaned back in his chair and folded his hands behind his head.

"Yep."

Alaric sat down in the chair opposite from him and leaned forward with great interest.

"So Elena Gilbert finally gave it up? Or did you run into someone else to satisfy your needs?" he wanted to know.

Damon smiled as he thought about last night and this morning.

"Let's just say Elena and I had a busy night."

Alaric's eyes widened.

"You dog! So what are you going to do now? Are you going to dump her ruthlessly? Are you going to break her heart like she broke yours all those years ago?" he asked excitedly.

Damon's face fell as he thought about his plan. He still had to tell her. He still had to let her know that they had known each other in High School. It probably wouldn't be pretty, but he hoped she could forgive him. But right now, he would just enjoy the afterglow.

"I'm not going to dump her, Ric," he told his friend, while busying himself with the papers on his desk.

Ric's eyes narrowed a bit.

"O man. You didn't! You fell in love with her!"

Damon looked up at Ric and shrugged.

"So what if I did?"

Ric got up from his seat and began to pace.

"You are setting yourself up for a fall here, Damon. There are too many things that could go wrong. For starters, you can't date your client. If Klaus finds out.. and then there's the fact that Elena could still figure out who you are and do a one eighty. It's a huge risk," he informed him.

Damon sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"I know it's a risk. But she's worth it. And I'll tell Elena who I am. She needs to know if we are going to turn this thing into something serious."

Alaric shook his head.

"I hope it works out for you, man. I really do. But I'm worried. I have a slight feeling that shit is about to hit the fan really soon here."

Damon swallowed at the thought of all hell breaking loose. He seriously hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"I hope it works out too. For the first time in my life I understand what you were trying to say when you told me how wonderful it was to be with one woman. I get it now. All the meaningless sex, all the women, nothing can ever compare to her. She's the one," he told Ric sincerely.

Ric stared at him with his mouth hanging open, as if he couldn't believe that his best friend was saying this. Damon knew how this sounded. It was very unlike him. He had never believed in 'the one'. Hell, he had never even believed in monogamy! But he did now.

"I never thought I would live to see the day that Damon Salvatore would convert to loving one woman. I can't believe what I'm seeing. But wait, Elena Gilbert has a kid. You and children never get along. How is that working out?" Ric wanted to know.

Damon smiled at the thought of Charlotte.

"I know. I hate children. But Charlotte is… I don't know. For some reason, she has me wrapped around her little finger. She is really cute. I even changed her nappy this morning."

Ric's eyes bugged out of his head and he walked over to where Damon was sitting. He then held up a hand to his forehead to feel his temperature.

"Hmm, you don't feel like you're sick," he joked.

Damon slapped his hand away with a laugh.

"Make fun of me all you want, but I'm happy. Nothing is going to ruin this for me," he said adamantly.

Ric let out a sigh.

"I hope you're right, man. I would hate to see this blow up in your face."

Damon parked his car in front of Elena's house with a sigh that night. Ric's words had put a damper on his happiness. He meant well, he knew that. Ric was just looking out for him as a friend. But now Damon had become a little worried himself.

Things could go wrong, he knew that. He just hoped they would work out in his favour.

When he opened the front door, he was surprised to see Caroline Forbes sitting in the living room. She was laughing with Elena about something.

"O hey, Damon. I'm so glad you're here. Do you want to see what I looked like in my teen years?" Elena giggled.

She walked up to him and gave him a quick peck on the lips, before pointing to a book that Damon knew all too well. All the blood left his face as he realised it was a High School Yearbook.

Damn! Had she recognised him? He didn't think so; otherwise she wouldn't have walked up to him so happily, with the question if he wanted to know what she looked like back then. If she knew, then she would have come to realise that he already knew what she had looked like.

"Yes, Damon. Sit down and have a look at our yearbook," Caroline said to him.

Damon squinted his eyes at her. There was something wrong with the way she had said it.

"Elena was quite the popular one in high school, Damon. So what were you? My guess is that someone who buries their noses in books to become a lawyer would have been a… nerd. Am I right?" Caroline questioned him.

Her eyes dropped down to the yearbook, towards a picture he knew all too well; his own.

Caroline knew…..

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	11. Chapter 11

Blowing it all wide open

Damon sat down opposite from Caroline, trying to play it cool. He needed to outsmart her this time; he needed to show her that the High School geek no longer existed. Caroline tried to stare him down, while Elena just sat there, looking rather confused.

"Caroline, you're being rude!" she chastised her friend.

Damon casually leaned back in his chair and kept an arrogant smirk on his face, trying to hide the fact that his heart was beating a mile a minute.

"It's all right, Elena. It's true what Caroline says; I was a geek. I had braces, frizzy hair, bad skin and all that stuff. Everything you imagine a geek to be, I was."

Elena let out a chuckle.

"I find it hard to picture you as a geek. I mean, you are so masculine, powerful and.. sexy."

She blushed deeply at the last word and Damon winked at her.

"So what school did you say you went to?" Caroline interrupted their moment.

Damon turned back to look at her, their eyes locking venomously. He realised that she wasn't going to let this go. She wanted to cause a rift here and he needed to stop that. He had fought too hard for this family. He was not giving them up!

Charlotte chose that precise moment to start sobbing in her playpen. It was a welcome interruption that managed to ease the tension a bit. Elena walked over towards her daughter and picked her up.

"Eh, guys. It seems Charlotte has disposed of something. I'm going to go change her upstairs. I'll be right back," Elena announced.

Damon watched her retreating form for a second, before realising that this was the perfect opportunity to tear Caroline down without Elena having to hear about it. He leaned forward in his chair and narrowed his eyes at the blonde woman.

"I don't know what game you are trying to play here, Caroline. But you should know that you will not win. If you even try to come between Elena and me, I will break you down. And that is a promise!" he threatened.

Caroline seemed unfazed. She even let out a hearty chuckle.

"O Damon. It is quite funny to see such a pathetic loser trying to come back for more. I didn't know who you where in the beginning. But it always bothered me that you looked familiar. When I went through my yearbook the other day, I knew. So, I don't get it. Why are you doing this? Are you that hell bent on proving you can now get the girl you couldn't back then? Because she doesn't know it yet, does she? Who you are?"

Damon scowled at her remark. That was how things were in the beginning. But not anymore. Not now that he knew what life with Elena could be like.

"I will explain myself only once. And you will listen. When I took this case, yes, I'll admit that I found it fascinating that I would see that girl again who had shot me down so cruelly back in High School. I thought it would be amusing to see the life that she now leads compared to mine. But when I met Elena, she was far from what I expected. She was kind and caring. And I fell in love with her. It wasn't anything either of us expected, but it happened anyway. I have high respect for how she handles everything. It isn't easy to be a single mother that has to work long hours to pay the bills. And on top of that, she's got an awful ex-husband trying to take her baby away from her. A man who you introduced her to, I heard."

Caroline looked down a bit guilty at those words. Apparently he had found her weak spot. She obviously blamed herself for her part in the Stefan debacle. He could work with that!

"I'm not a perfect man, Caroline. I should have told her the truth right away. And I WILL tell her. You just have to give me a chance. If you tell her now… like this.. it would probably hurt her immensely. Our relationship would be over before it has even begun. Do you want to see her hurt? You say you are her friend, but if you do this.. she will lose another man in her life. She would be alone again. Do you really want that to happen?"

Damon gave her an honest and genuine look. He hoped she could see things his way. He hoped that Caroline had grown up enough to see past what had happened back in High School and would give him a chance.

Caroline swallowed and looked away for a second. She took a deep breath, before looking back and staring him dead in the eye.

"Fine. You'll get your chance. You can tell her yourself. If you haven't told her by Monday, I will do it for you," she told him.

Damon clenched his jaw.

"I am not that High School boy anymore, Caroline. I don't take orders and I certainly don't give a shit about how you feel about me. You need to let Elena and me sort this out. Our relationship is none of your business. I understand your concerns about my intentions because you are her friend. I respect that. But you can't get in the middle of this. Let us do this together," he pleaded.

Caroline was about to say something when Elena came walking down the stairs with Charlotte, oblivious to what had just happened.

"Well, I changed her but she's still al little bit fussy. I guess it's time for dinner," she told them.

Caroline took the hint her friend gave her and got out of her seat.

Damon glanced her way to see if she had understood his words. He tried to catch her gaze. When she looked at him and saw the question in his eyes, she gave him a nod.

Damon sighed in relief. Maybe things would work out in his best interest after all…

"I think she's asleep," Elena told Damon.

He glanced down at the baby girl that was lying contently on his chest. Her little mouth was slightly parted and she was breathing deeply and evenly.

"You're right about that."

Elena moved from her place against his side and wanted to pick up her daughter to carry her to bed. But Damon stopped her.

"Just let her sleep here for a second. I'll take her upstairs later."

Elena frowned at his words.

"What happened to the Damon that grumbled when my daughter wanted to be held by him?"

Damon chuckled.

"He fell in love. With both the mother and the daughter."

Elena stared at him in awe for a second, before laying her head back on his shoulder with a smile. She snuggled into him and gently started tracing little patterns on Charlotte's back.

Damon sighed contently. He loved holding his girls. But when he thought about telling Elena who he really was, fear gripped him. He just hoped that she would understand why he hadn't told her sooner.

He had decided he was going to do it tomorrow. Why wait? It would only get harder as time progressed.

They would be alone tomorrow. Charlotte would be with her father and they would have time to really talk things through. His heart clenched in his chest, just thinking about it. He was nervous as hell!

But for now, he would enjoy watching TV with both of his girls being snuggled into him….

"So what do you want to do today?" Elena asked him as soon as she walked through the door after dropping of her daughter at Stefan's house.

Damon glanced up at her from the setting he had created for this. The yearbook was lying on the table and he had opened it at his picture. To really get his point across, he had also taken some old pictures that were taken by his mother and placed them next to the yearbook. It was show time.

He walked over towards Elena and took her coat.

"I need you to sit down for a second," he told her.

Elena's forehead creased with worry.

"Is something wrong? Did anything happen while I was gone? Is it the case?" she rambled.

Damon led her towards the couch and sat her down on it. He sat down next to her and took her hands in his. Then, he took a deep breath.

"It's not the case. It's something else. I eh.. I haven't been completely honest with you."

Elena looked at him in confusion.

"Honest about what? You are scaring me, Damon."

Damon sighed and ran a hand through his hair to calm his nerves.

"You and I. That day that we met, when I talked to you about the case.. That wasn't the first time," he finally said.

Elena shook her head, trying to understand what he was saying here.

"We have met before? I think I would have remembered a sexy man like yourself," she tried to make light of the situation.

"Well yes, but then I wasn't always sexy, now was I? I told you last night."

Damon watched her as understanding slowly spread over her face.

"We met when you were a geek?"

He nodded.

"But how? Where?" Elena asked him.

Damon leaned forward to grab the yearbook off of the table. He showed it to her.

"That's why Caroline was a bit strained last night. She remembered who I was."

Elena's eyes widened at the yearbook.

"You went to High School with us?" she squeaked.

Damon nodded and finally pointed towards his picture in the yearbook. Then, he waited…

Elena's eyes scanned over the picture, frowning. It didn't click right away. But then she gasped. She knew.

"You were that boy that always had a crush on me! You asked me out one day and I blew you off!"

Damon looked down at the ground, feeling a bit insecure again at her remembrance of the awkward teenager.

"I'm going to be completely honest here. After it happened, I changed. I became a little bitter. I moved away from Mystic Falls and went to law school in Richmond. When my colleague and friend told me about this case, I wanted to take it. I wanted to see what my High School tormenter had become. I guess I still held a grudge and wanted revenge. But then I saw you. From the moment you opened that door I was in awe of you. You weren't that girl any more. You were so sweet to me and you had this wonderful daughter. It knocked me off of my feet," he explained.

Elena got up from the couch and started pacing. She was obviously a little lost. Damon just hoped she would find it in her heart to forgive him.

"You say you wanted revenge. What exactly did you want to do, Damon?" she wanted to know.

Damon took a deep breath. _'Here we go.'_

"I wanted to make you fall for me and then dump you just like you did all those years ago."

Elena gasped and her eyes widened. She was upset.

"Are you going to dump me now?" she asked in a meek voice. "Did you accomplish your plan?"

Damon shot up from the couch and walked over towards her.

"NO! I already told you that once I got to know you I couldn't go through with it. I fell completely in love with you. That's why I want it all out in the open. If we are going to be something serious here, there can't be any lies between us. You need to know everything about me."

Tears threatened to spill from Elena's eyes, but when he wanted to reach up to comfort her, she reeled back. Damon's heart sank. This was it. She was done with him.

"Who are you?" she whispered brokenly.

"You know who I am. You know me."

Elena shook her head.

"Do I? You wanted revenge over something that happened 20 years ago! Let me tell you something, what happened in that cafeteria has always bothered me. Yes, I hung out with the popular people. But being mean was never my thing. Still, I caved under peer pressure. When you walked up to me that day and asked me out, I wanted to say yes. I had seen you walking around the halls of Mystic High School and I liked you! That is MY secret. But I was an insecure teenager back then who wanted to be accepted by her friends. So instead, I said no and pretended I didn't even know who you were."

Damon's eyes widened at her revelation. She had liked him too? He felt a shit eating grin beginning to mar his features, but he quickly covered it up again. Now was not the time to be gloating.

"I am not that person anymore, Damon."

Damon took a deep breath. There was something he needed to ask. She already hated him now; why not make her hate him even more.

"And Caroline?"

Elena shrugged.

"Yes, I'm still friends with Caroline. And yes, she can still be a pain in the ass sometimes. But she has been there for me through some tough times. That is what friendship is about. The High School drama queen may sometimes still reside in her, but I know when to call her out on her shit. She doesn't tell me what to do anymore."

God, had he been an idiot! He had blamed her for things that were never even true! Now he really wished he could turn back the clock.

Elena turned around and went for her coat, confusing Damon. What was she doing?

"Where are you going?"

"Out. I need some time to think about this. When I get back I want you gone. I can't deal with you right now."

Damon's shoulders sagged. He knew that this would happen. Their relationship was over.

When Elena slammed the door behind her, he flinched.

Here he was, all alone in a house where he had found a family in. He needed to get out of here before it would all sink in; before he realised that he would never hold Elena in his arms or see Charlotte ever again.

He quickly jumped in his car and high tailed it back to Richmond, back towards the empty apartment that waited for him; back towards the empty life style of having no one that cared about him. No one that waited for him when he got home from a long day at work.

When he parked his car in front of his apartment building, he was almost afraid to go in. If he went in there, it would all become real. But he had no other choice.

He got out of the car and slumped towards the front door. He dragged himself to the elevator that finally delivered him to his doorstep. Hundreds of people would be jealous to live here, but right now he just longed for a small house in Mystic Falls.

The apartment was exactly as he had left it; clean, tidy and a complete bachelor pad. Yep, he was single once again.

He threw his keys on a table and felt it coming. The emotional tidal wave. It hit him with enormous force and he howled out, before he kicked the table he had just placed his keys on to the ground.

It wasn't enough. He felt like doing some real damage here. He smashed and slammed his way through the apartment, knocking things over and breaking objects as he went. In the end, the place was a complete mess. But he didn't care.

When there was a knock on his door almost an hour later, he brokenly looked up. Who could that be? Had Ric gotten word of what had happened? Had the neighbours complained about the noise?

He sauntered over towards his front door and opened it. His heart jumped when he looked into chocolate brown eyes; eyes he had thought would never want to hear from him again.

She didn't say anything. Instead she flung herself at him and knocked him over towards the ground. Damon could barely register what was happening, before she firmly planted her lips on his. She wrenched his mouth open and snaked her tongue inside.

Damon let out a guttural moan at her wanton actions. He managed to kick the door shut with his foot, before the neighbours would get an eyeful.

"Elena, what are you..?" he tried to get out between heated kisses.

"Shh!"

She grabbed hold of his shirt and ripped it open, buttons flying everywhere. Damon didn't even care that it had been an expensive shirt. He just wanted her hands on him. She was healing what had been broken earlier.

Elena attacked his chest with a vengeance, licking, sucking and even biting as she went down towards his pants.

"Off!" she hissed.

Damon complied willingly. He raised his hips to pull his pants and boxers down. They pooled at his ankles; he couldn't get them off any further. Elena straddling him was blocking that attempt. So he just left them there. There really was no time anyway. This would be hard and fast, he knew that. This was make up sex.

He was thankful Elena was wearing a skirt. He pulled it up over her hips, before ripping her panties off.

"I need you inside of me," Elena whispered.

She raked her nails across his nipples, making him hiss.

He realised that they were going to do this right here on the floor. Getting up to go towards his bed was not an option right now. He wasn't even sure he could walk with how hard he was!

Elena leaned forward, biting his lobe, before whispering: "Do it, Damon!"

She grasped his cock in her hand, squeezing him and making him choke.

"Keep that up and I won't be doing anything anymore!" he snarled back at her.

She raised her hips so he could slide inside, which was exactly what he did. He groaned as he realised why it always felt so amazing with her. It felt like coming home.

Elena placed her hands firmly on the ground beside his head, anchoring herself for his oncoming hard thrusts. When he finally moved, she mewled like a kitten.

"Harder!" she called out.

Damon found this side of her such a turn on. He had basically always been the one to be in control in their relationship. But now, she was calling the shots. It was hot!

He complied with her wish, grasping her hips before pummelling up inside of her. He was hypnotised by the way she bounced on top of him, her breasts swaying with their rhythm. They jiggled so enticingly, he just had to reach up and take one of her nipples into his mouth.

She tasted so good that it made him realise that he wanted to taste her elsewhere too. No time for that now, but next time he wanted to make her come with his mouth. He was just relieved there would be a next time.

The room was filled with noises of their moaning, flesh slapping against flesh and him sucking loudly on her nipple. He released it with a plop, before going for the other one.

"Damon!" she hissed. "I'm close!"

He was too. He rolled them over and thrust roughly into her.. once.. twice.. and then they both came undone. Damon spilled himself deep inside of her, before collapsing on top of her in a panting heap and pulling out.

He realised now that they had never used any protection. For any of their trysts. Stupid? Maybe. But with her he didn't care. The thought of her pregnant with his child made his loins surge up once again.

Elena looked up at him with her eyebrows arched.

"Already?" she chuckled.

Damon looked down at her and gave her a wide smile.

"Don't worry. I'll give you a few minutes to recover."

Elena smiled back and stroked his hair back from his damp forehead.

"I'm sorry," Damon found himself whispering in all earnest.

He leaned down to kiss her softly on the lips.

"I know you are," Elena whispered back.

Damon cuddled into her embrace and sighed.

"No more lies," he promised.

Elena kissed the top of his head.

"No more lies."

**Don't worry. This story is far from over! The battle for Charlotte is still in motion. Ready for more? Press that blue button below ;)**

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	12. Chapter 12

A battle awaits

Damon lay in bed, his hands tucked behind his head as he watched Elena quietly saunter through his apartment. She thought he had still been asleep when she had left his bed. The truth was, the moment he had felt her stir beside him, he had sensed it. He was becoming in tune with her.

He smirked as he watched her fingers slide over some pictures on a shelve. It was clear to him that she was trying to learn more about him. That actually excited him. It meant that she was willing to explore this relationship; that she wasn't ready to give up on them.

His eyes travelled across her naked legs, stopping at the black panties she was wearing. This weekend had been amazing. When she came to him yesterday, ready to take him back, he had been overjoyed. And he had shown it to her over and over again. In fact, he believed they had hardly left his bed at all. He had explored every inch of her wonderful body.

They had needed this; this time together to learn more about each other, without interruptions from the outside world. They had so much to hold into account. Something always came up. Either with the trial or Caroline or Charlotte. But not now. Right now, they were free to enjoy each other without anyone interfering.

Damon's eyes continued their examination of Elena's body as she stretched to reach for a book on one of his shelves. She was so gorgeous in nothing but those panties and a small grey tank top. He felt his lower body responding already. He quite simply could not get enough of her. Especially now that things were out in the open. There were no more secrets and it made their encounters even more intense.

Elena caught him looking at her and smiled.

"You're awake," she breathed.

Damon winked at her.

"Obviously."

Elena's eyes travelled down to where his erection was tenting the sheets and she immediately caught his double innuendo. She shook her head in amusement.

"I'm surprised that thing is still working after.. God, I lost count after the tenth time!"

Damon sat up against the headboard.

"Don't call him 'That Thing', honey. He deserves more than that after what he did to you," he smirked in arrogance.

Elena laughed out loud.

She made her way back over towards the bed and crawled underneath the sheets.

"What should I call him, then? The magnificent one?" she joked.

Damon grabbed her arms and rolled her underneath him, letting her feel exactly how magnificent he was.

"It's a good start," he whispered, before dropping down to claim her lips.

It amazed him how one simple kiss could erupt such a fire within him. He was addicted to it, to her. He just couldn't get enough.

He let his tongue slip between her lips, tangling it with her own. Spurred own by her breathy moan, he let his hand slide down towards her hip, pulling her lower half against his hardness more firmly.

"Damon," Elena groaned as she ripped her lips away from him. "I think I'm spent. I have nothing left in me."

Damon chuckled.

"Wanna bet?" he winked.

Elena curiously looked at him, watching him slip beneath the sheets. He kissed his way down her clothed torso, lightly teasing her nipples through the cloth of her tank top. His hands palmed her breasts, massaging them as he licked at her hardened buds. Finally, his hands dropped down towards the hemline of her top, pulling it up to expose her creamy bosom to his view.

He took one nipple into his mouth, sucking it hard. Elena was moaning above him and he smirked. She definitely had more left in her!

His tongue teased her hard peak for a few more seconds, before kissing and licking his way down her belly. He let his right hand slip between her thighs, teasing and kneading the flesh there. Occasionally, he brushed his knuckles against her sex on purpose and she would shiver. His tongue continued the licking pattern on her hipbone.

"Damon!" he could hear Elena plead above him.

To tease her, he pressed a small kiss on where her panties covered her clit and she immediately lifted her hips into his mouth.

Damon threw the sheets off of him so he could look Elena in the eye.

"Was there something you wanted, Elena?" he teased.

Elena raised herself on her elbows to glare at him.

"Not the teasing again! Just do it. You know what I want!" she snapped.

Damon chuckled.

"But you know me. I'm not going to do it until you say it."

Damon found it funny how she still struggled to vocalize her desires. After everything they had been doing, she still turned a shade of crimson if she actually had to say it out loud. Well, he had said he would teach her. He was going to do that now.

He ceased all of his attentions and rested his chin in his hand, looking at her daringly.

"Crap, Damon! Take off my panties," she instructed.

Damon immediately complied, slipping the material slowly down her legs. After that, he resumed his earlier position and looked at her expectantly.

Elena groaned in anger and frustration.

"Do you enjoy tormenting me? Do I have to spell everything out for you?"

Damon nodded with a wide grin.

"Fine. Kiss me," she told him.

"Where?"

Elena flopped her head down on the pillow so she wouldn't have to look at him, so he wouldn't see the blush that covered her cheeks.

"My.. my sex," she mumbled.

Damon leaned forward to gently kiss her outer lips, going up and down, but never using his tongue or coming in contact with her clit. He needed to hear her vocalize everything she wanted.

"Damon.. lick," she finally said, as she realised he wasn't going to do anything else.

Damon kissed and licked at her entrance, making her squirm. But again, he never touched her clit. He circled around it a few times, watching it become puffy and red. Elena moved her hips up and down, trying to make him do what she wanted without telling him. But it wasn't working with him.

He teased her opening a few more times, before she finally cracked.

"Please! Please take my clit into your mouth!" she begged.

Damon immediately latched on, licking and sucking it for all he was worth. Her hips flew off the bed and she wailed like a banshee. It was the most erotic thing Damon had ever seen and he took his own member in his hand, pumping it as he got her off.

When Elena got down from her high and saw what he was doing, she sat up on her knees, looking at him coyly. She bit her lower lip, before hesitantly putting her hand over his own, helping him pump himself. Damon almost came undone at the way she kept staring into his eyes as they worked him together.

It didn't take long, the intensity of the moment making him spill within minutes. Afterwards, they lay in each other's arms, the atmosphere changing a bit.

"I'm scared, Damon. About tomorrow," Elena finally confessed.

Damon pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head.

"There is nothing to worry about. I got this. You are a good mother. The judge sees that. I will tear Stefan down. You will win this thing, trust me," he reassured her.

Elena sighed, snuggling into him.

"I still can't believe he's doing this. I can't believe he can't see that it's in the best interest of our daughter to have joint custody. She's not a toy you can fight over. She's a human being that needs both parents in her life equally."

Damon thought about her words. He could use them for tomorrow.

"I will not let Charlotte be tossed around, Elena. You have my word. If we can make this thing between us work, Charlotte is as much a part of it as we are. I will love her whole-heartedly. I will not let anything happen to her. I promise," he told her.

Elena looked at him with an intense expression on her face. She leaned up and cupped his face in her hand.

"I love you," she whispered.

Damon's heart clenched in his chest. He had never ever said those words to a woman, other than his mother. Could he do it? Could he put his issues aside and say it back?

He leaned forward and quickly kissed her lips. Elena took it as a sign he wasn't going to say it back and her face fell. She began to turn her body away from him, but Damon grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"Elena," he whispered. "I love you too…"

Damon stared at Stefan sitting in the witness stand. This was it; the moment that could make or break them. If he handled it right, Elena would get custody and all this would be over. If he failed, she might lose her child and he could lose a new found family.

He swallowed harshly. For the first time in his career as a lawyer, his heart was pounding in his chest. He needed to get his groove back; that arrogance that he always exuded while in a court room. He loved courtrooms. He loved the battle, he just needed to remind himself of that.

He got up from his seat and walked over towards Stefan. The dick eyed him warily. Good, he was afraid of him, he needed that!

He cleared his throat.

"So, sir. How long were you and Miss Gilbert married?" he started off.

Stefan looked at Elena.

"Not long. We married a few months before she became pregnant with Charlotte. So about a year. But we had been dating since college," Stefan told him.

Damon nodded.

"What was the reason for the divorce?"

Stefan looked at Klaus and Katherine nervously. He knew that the answer wasn't pretty.

"Answer the question. What was the reason for the divorce?" Damon repeated himself.

"Things just weren't working out," Stefan tried to dodge the bullet.

Damon let out a chuckle.

"Were things not working out because you were having sex with another woman? That other woman being Miss Pierce?" he sneered.

Klaus jumped up from his seat.

"Objection, your honour! We are not here to discuss the reason why the marriage between both parties failed. Things were already settled in court for that. We are here to discuss who would be a better parent for Charlotte," he barked.

Damon stayed calm and collected.

"That's exactly my point, your honour. When we look into who is the better parent here, things need to be out in the open. We can't hold anything back. You should know all the details before you make a decision, your honour," he pointed out.

The judge sighed.

"I'll allow it," he said.

Damon smirked at Klaus. He sat back down with steam coming out of his ears.

"Answer the question. Where you having sex with Miss Pierce while you were still married to Miss Gilbert?" he continued.

Stefan looked down.

"Yes."

Damon nodded.

"You see, the point I'm making here is that your client thinks he and Miss Pierce are better roll models for the child than Miss Gilbert is. How can you be a good roll model if you lied and cheated your way through a marriage?" he addressed both Klaus and Stefan.

Klaus jumped up again.

"Objection! Badgering of the witness!" he spat.

"Overruled. Answer the question, sir," the judge ruled in Damon's favour.

Stefan looked down guiltily.

"I know what I did was wrong. I hurt my ex-wife, I'm well aware of that. I am truly sorry for that now. I would definitely be disappointed in my child if she ever behaved the same way. I will teach her better values. I'll teach her how to respect her spouse. And I will never behave the same way again. I've learned my lesson. I love Katherine. I'll make sure I'll treat her right."

Damn! Damon felt like cursing. That was the perfect answer! A load of bullshit to get the judge on his side! He saw it when he looked into Elena's eyes too. She was shaking her head at Stefan in shock. Damon knew that Stefan had never apologized to Elena in this way. He had never said anything. He had just tossed her aside like yesterday's news.

He watched Klaus smirk and he suddenly felt nervous again. He couldn't lose this now!

'_Get a grip, Salvatore! You know how to win this!'_

He straightened his shoulders and carried on.

"That was beautifully spoken, sir. Unfortunately, I know from Miss Gilbert that you never even once apologized to her. You never told her what you now just said. So how do we know you are telling the truth? How can Miss Gilbert know for sure that this is not just some ploy to get your child away from her? You see, you weren't even married for that long. You had a baby on the way and yet you felt the need to go out and have sex with another woman while your wife was heavily pregnant. That doesn't speak highly in your favour."

"Objection. My client just apologized. I don't see the need to delve into this further," Klaus piped up.

"Sustained. Don't dwell, Mr. Salvatore. Make your point."

Damon sighed.

Fuck!

Well, new approach then.

"You said that you and my client dated since college, correct?"

Stefan nodded.

"Yes."

"Is it also correct that you were in college on a football scholarship?"

"Yes."

"And that scholarship didn't follow through, right? Your football career never happened?"

"No."

"Instead you became a mechanic. How did you feel about that?" Damon asked.

Stefan sighed.

"I was disappointed."

"Understandable. Is it true that afterwards, you told your ex-wife that you were also disappointed in your life together? While she was heavily pregnant?"

Stefan flustered a bit.

"I.."

"Are you easily bored, sir? You got bored in your marriage, you got bored at your job.. Who's to say you don't get bored by being a full time parent? What if a few years down the road you decide that your child is not living up to your expectations? Because fatherhood can't be tossed. You have to stay by them for the rest of your life. Can you handle that task, sir?" Damon pushed.

Stefan stuck out his chin and looked at Katherine.

"Yes, I can. Along with Katherine we would be perfect parents!" he answered.

Damon smirked. Now was the time to bring in his dirt on Katherine.

"And just how did you meet Miss Pierce?" he asked.

Stefan smiled.

"I was at a bar when she walked in. It was love at first sight," he answered dreamily.

Time to burst his bubble.

"Did Miss Pierce ever make you pay for sex?" Damon threw at him.

Stefan looked at him in horror.

"What?"

"Objection, your honour! This is distasteful and quite frankly disrespectful towards my client's girlfriend!" Klaus yelled.

"Sustained. I don't know what you are doing here, Mr. Salvatore, but let's keep it above the waist line. I am giving you a warning," the judge directed at Damon.

Damon held up his hands.

"Your honour, I'm making a point. I recently discovered a bit on Miss Pierce's past that might be of interest to all parties."

The judge sighed.

"Then make your point, Mr. Salvatore. No more cunning remarks," he warned Damon.

Damon smiled. Time for the kill!

"You see, sir. The reason why I asked you this question is because I learned Miss Pierce was a prostitute a few years ago. Did she ever tell you that?" he revealed.

The entire court room went dead silent. Katherine cowered in her seat, Elena's mouth was wide open, Klaus was searching through his files like a mad man to see what he was talking about and Stefan looked like someone just kicked his puppy.

"What?" Stefan whispered.

"Your honour, I just recently discovered this. But I have proof of it. She was arrested by the police for walking the streets a few years ago. There are records. I'll hand them in when we have a recess," Damon said.

He turned to look at Stefan, who was staring at Katherine in disbelief. Katherine had tears in her eyes, confirming everything.

"You say that you and Miss Pierce are the better parents here. You could give your child a perfect life. But I'll just say that a cheater and a prostitute are not my favourite roll models to raise a child. I'm finished with my questions, your honour."

Damon walked back towards his seat with his head held high.

Klaus was positively stumped.

"All right, we'll have that brief recess. Then I want Miss Pierce on the stand."

When the judge slammed down his hammer, everything exploded around him. Stefan began to yell at Katherine, Klaus was mad for not being informed and Elena just stared at him with wide eyes.

"O my god, Damon! How did you.. O my god! Katherine was a prostitute?" Elena stumbled on her words.

Damon smirked.

"I told you I would win this for you, for us."

They got up from their seats and left the room. Alaric was there and immediately walked up towards Damon.

"That was brilliant, man! Great work. My guess is that you just won your case," he complimented.

Elena almost squealed.

"Really? I get to keep my daughter? O, thank you!"

She flew Damon around his neck.

Damon held her at bay a bit. No one could know that they were dating.

"Elena, I'd like you to meet my best friend. Alaric Saltzman. Ric, this is Elena," Damon introduced two of the most important people in his life.

Ric smirked as he took Elena's hand.

"Damon was right. You really are still as gorgeous as you were in high school," he told her.

Elena's eyes widened.

"You went to high school with me too?"

Ric nodded.

"Yep, I was the one that this loser always hung out with."

"Hey! You were just as much of a loser as I was!" Damon protested.

Elena laughed at their interactions.

"I know. Good thing we're badass lawyers now. I'm going to go and see what is happening in that court room. See you in a few."

Damon watched as Ric disappeared into the crowd and suddenly pulled Elena into the men's room.

"Damon, what are you doing?" Elena laughed.

Damon checked to see if the place was empty, looking underneath bathroom doors before turning Elena's way and pulling her into his arms.

"I wanted to give my girl a kiss. But I can't do that out there," he winked at her.

"Well, what are you waiting for then?" Elena whispered.

Damon's face turned serious. He leaned down and gently claimed her lips with his own. It was soft and sweet. It was his way of saying that he was always going to be there for her.

"O, I'm terribly sorry!" a voice interrupted them.

Damon immediately jumped back, alarmed. He became even more alarmed when he found himself looking into the eyes of the judge that handled their case….

**A/N: I am so sorry for the long wait. As some of you already know, I suffered through a bit of a writer's block. I couldn't write a thing for this story. I'm so happy that I'm finally back and ready to continue writing this. I hope this chapter is worth the long wait.**

**Please let me know your thoughts in a review. Thank you.**

**Twitter: Sandy1983b**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hello? Anyone still there? I hope you all still remember this little story of mine :) I know I have SERIOUSLY neglected it. Believe me, I'm prepared to get bitch slapped over it :P But in all seriousness; I lost my muse there for a while. But I have found her hiding place and dragged her back by her hair. This chapter might have a bit of a shock in it. Continue to read and please review. They keep my muse firmly beside me.**

**Pleading a case**

Damon felt his heart pounding in his throat as he eyed the judge warily. The silence was deadly inside the small lavatory.

Damn it! Why had he been so stupid as to pull Elena in here and kiss her? This was a public place! He should have known better. Now they had been caught by the man assigning over their case! Fuck!

Finally, the judge moved from his spot and gave them a small nod.

"Mr. Salvatore. Miss Gilbert," he acknowledged them.

The man walked into the room and went in search of a free bathroom stall. He disappeared into the last one, leaving Elena and Damon befuddled.

Wasn't he going to say anything? Was he going to let this slide?

Elena looked at Damon, her eyes big with fear. Truth was, there was no way he was able to tell her it was going to be okay now. He couldn't relax her nerves. He was afraid of the outcome himself. Why was the judge acting so aloof?

After a minute or so, the judge reappeared again, heading for the sink to wash his hands. He still remained silent. Both Elena and Damon watched him as he went about his business in a cool manner. When he was done, he walked past them and pulled the door open to step outside.

Damon almost wanted to let out a sigh of relief as it seemed the judge would never say anything about it. But then the man stopped in the doorway. Without turning around, he opened his mouth.

"Mr. Salvatore, a word with you in the courtroom, please."

He never spared them a backward glance, before heading off again, leaving Damon and Elena frozen.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Damon cursed.

He began to pace, not sure of how to handle this one.

"Damon?" Elena asked in a meek voice. "Will this ruin the case? Please tell me I'm not losing my daughter over this."

Elena's eyes were pooling with tears. Damon let out a deep breath and took her face in his hands.

"Hey. He's not going to take away your daughter, just because you fell in love with your lawyer. He will probably just reprimand me. I'm the one in trouble here, not you. Besides, Stefan and Katherine have a lot to answer for. There is no way the judge is just going to hand them your daughter."

Elena nodded, swallowing her tears.

"Come on. I'll go and see what he has to say."

They left the lavatory and made their way back to the courtroom. Alaric was standing in the hallway, almost smoking a victorious cigar. He had no idea what had gone down in the bathroom.

"So, are you ready to wrap this up?" he said with a smirk.

Damon sighed.

"Something happened. I'm not sure how it will affect the case," he explained.

Alaric squinted his eyes at them.

"What do you mean? I left you ten minutes ago and everybody was under the impression that you had nailed this case. What did you do?"

Damon glanced sideways at Elena, before telling the truth.

"The judge caught us kissing."

Alaric's mouth dropped open. Then he exploded.

"WHAT?! Are you two crazy?! You had this, Damon. You had this! Couldn't you keep your hands to yourself for five minutes? Off all the things, Salvatore…"

Damon shushed him.

"Keep it down! Klaus doesn't know this yet. I don't know what the judge will say to me. Just keep this under wraps until the judge has said his piece. Okay?" he told his friend.

Alaric sighed, shaking his head.

"I hope this doesn't bite you in the ass, Damon. Me and Elena will wait outside. You'd better be prepared to sweet talk the pants off of this guy."

Damon looked at Elena one last time, giving her a wry smile, before entering the courtroom with a pounding heart. The judge sat in his seat, relaxed and looking over some paperwork. He looked up as Damon walked in.

"Mr. Salvatore, would you approach the bench, please?" he said, eying him over his spectacles.

Damon warily did as he was told, stopping before the bench more nervous than he had ever been in his career as a lawyer.

"Mr. Salvatore, would you mind telling me what that was all about in the lavatory just now?" the judge questioned him.

Straight to the point. Usually, Damon liked that in a person. Now, it was unnerving.

"Your Honour, me and Miss Gilbert… During this trial we fell in love with each other. It was not planned. I never would have taken her case, had I known this was going to happen. But it did. However, I vowed to myself I wasn't going to let it affect the way I would represent her. I treated this case as I do with all my cases. I am a professional," Damon pleaded.

The judge seemed to contemplate this. He pursed his lips, rubbing a finger over it as if he was in deep thought.

"Are you familiar with the child involved in this case? Have you spent quality time with his girl?" he wanted to know.

Damon swallowed.

"Yes."

"And what are your feelings regarding this child?"

Damon felt his heart swell as he thought about Charlotte. A smile crept unknowingly onto his face. There was no way he would be able to lie about this one.

"I love her," he therefore whispered.

The judge rubbed his temples, agitated.

"Mr. Salvatore, you do know that this screams 'conflict of interest,' don't you? You are too involved. You have an emotional attachment here. I'm going to have to postpone today's trial until Miss Gilbert is able to find a new lawyer. You can no longer represent this young woman and her daughter. I will inform the other party."

"Your Honour, please..," Damon tried.

"Mr. Salvatore, I think I'm being very reasonable. It won't affect the case. Miss Gilbert just needs to find a new lawyer. As for you, you should have known better. You should have stepped down the moment you became aware of your feelings towards your client."

Damon nodded, knowing he had lost here. Fuck! Would this ruin his career?

"You let Miss Gilbert know she is going to have to look for someone else to represent her. Until then, this trial is dismissed," were the judge's last words.

"I'll do it," a voice came from behind them.

Both Damon and the judge looked up in surprise as the door on the other end of the courtroom opened. Alaric was standing in the doorway.

"And just who might you be?"

The judge was becoming a little irritated and eyed Alaric warily.

"My name is Alaric Saltzman. I work at the same law firm as Mr. Salvatore. I know about the case and what it entails. I could do it. I have no involvement with Miss Gilbert or her daughter," Alaric stated.

The judge seemed to think this over.

"Okay, I don't see why not, then. If Miss Gilbert is satisfied with you as a lawyer, then I'll allow it. But for now, I think we all need a recess. Mr. Saltzman needs to look over the case, I need to inform the other party and you can both inform Miss Gilbert. I shall set a new date in a few days."

"Thank you, Your Honour," Damon muttered.

Elena was sitting on a bench outside, nervously picking at her fingers. Her eyes widened as she spotted Damon and Alaric leaving the courtroom.

"What did he say?" she asked almost breathlessly.

"For you, there is very little harm. The judge says this won't affect your case. You just need to find a new lawyer. Alaric has agreed to do it. If you'll have him," Damon explained.

"You got pulled off the case?" Elena squeaked.

Damon nodded.

"O Damon, I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's not your fault. Like the judge said, I should have stepped down when we began to develop feelings for each other."

"So now Alaric is my lawyer?" Elena looked at the sandy-haired man.

Alaric stepped forward and straightened his tie.

"Here to the rescue, ma'am," he joked.

Damon chuckled. Ric could always make light of a bad situation.

He watched as Klaus exited the courtroom, making his way over to him with a smirk. He was coming to gloat, no doubt.

"Sleeping with the clientele, Salvatore? I should have known that someone with a rep like you would not be able to stop himself from dipping his hand in the honey-pot," Klaus laughed.

Damon ground his teeth together to keep himself from knocking the guy's lights out. He doubted that this would sit well with the judge. He was Elena's boyfriend now. He needed to keep himself in check if they wanted to win this.

Klaus winked at them and sauntered off.

"Asshole!" Damon barked.

"He is, but don't let him get to you. He's going to want to rile you up now. Stay calm and poised," Alaric advised…

Damon was just coming off the phone with Alaric, discussing the case, when the doorbell rang. Elena got up, Charlotte attached to her hip.

It was Stefan. He was coming to pick up his daughter.

"Hey. I've got her bag ready. Let me go and get it for you," Elena said.

"Can I come in for a second?" Stefan asked.

Damon could see Elena being doubtful, hovering in the doorway.

"Ehm, sure."

Stefan crossed the threshold and his eyes landed on Damon. His jaw tensed immediately.

"I see it's true, then. You are sleeping with your lawyer. What did you hope to gain by it, Elena? Better service?" he sneered.

Damon clenched his fists at his side. He couldn't let his temper get the best of him. He needed to let Elena handle this.

"My relationship with Damon is none of your concern, Stefan."

Stefan snorted.

"I beg to differ. This man hangs around my daughter. I don't want some conquest of yours raising her."

"You are one to talk, Stefan. How do you think I feel about Katherine being a prostitute?" Elena defended herself.

"That's all in the past. Katherine explained it to me. She's had it rough, growing up."

Elena sighed.

"Look, I don't want to argue. Not in front of Charlotte. We both found someone new. We don't have to like each other's choices. As long as we're all good for Charlotte."

Stefan nodded and eyed his daughter, who was getting fussy in Elena's arms by her arguing parents. He smiled at her.

"Can I hold her while you get her bag?" he pleaded with Elena.

Elena nodded and gave him her daughter.

Charlotte was looking back and forth between her parents, eyes wide. She sensed the unpleasant atmosphere, Damon noted. She struggled a bit at Stefan's side. Elena picked up the bag and handed it to him.

"Why can't you see what I'm trying to do here, Elena? I want a stable environment for her. You're always at work and she's always at either the day care centre or at your mother's. I don't want her to be raised by 10 different people," Stefan argued his case.

"She's not being raised by 10 different people, Stefan. She has everything her heart could desire. She has two loving parents, she has a grandmother who spoils her and she has other children to play with at the day care centre. Look at her, Stefan. She's doing fine."

Stefan's eyes became angry.

"I want to raise my daughter, Elena. I'm tired of being a weekend-dad!"

"Then why didn't you say that? We could have worked something out. Instead, you dragged me to court," Elena shot back.

Charlotte began to whimper. Her bottom lip protruded and her big eyes were watering up. It was breaking Damon's heart.

"Because I wanted things in writing! You call all the shots here, Elena! I always have to check with you for everything!"

"I always check things with you too, Stefan. It's called joined custody. You do things together!"

The first wail pierced the air, and finally Damon couldn't take it anymore. He got up from the couch and walked over towards the arguing couple.

"Listen, this is going nowhere and Charlotte is becoming upset. Take her and go home. We can settle this in court."

Damon kept his voice as calm as possible.

"Don't you tell me what to do! I don't even know who you are, besides that you're some lawyer doing it with my ex-wife!" Stefan snarled.

"Then listen to your daughter, man! She's crying her eyes out over the attitude you're presenting us with here. Calm down, calm Charlotte down and have a good weekend with her. We can talk about further arrangements in the courtroom."

This seemed to shut Stefan up for a second. He gently rocked his daughter in his arms and kissed the top of her head, silencing her. Finally, he looked up at Damon and Elena.

"This isn't over yet," he sneered one last time, before turning around towards his car.

"Oh, that man!" Elena huffed as she closed the door.

Damon took her in his arms and briefly kissed her lips.

"He's got quite a temper. He actually reminds me of me," Damon joked.

Elena lifted her head from his shoulder and stared at him in shock.

"Please don't tell me that I've fallen for the same type of guy again!"

Damon threw his head back and laughed.

"There is one important difference between us, sweetheart," he told her.

"What's that?" Elena inquired curiously.

"I would never fall out of love with you.."

Damon awoke to an incessant ringing of his cell phone by the bedside. Groaning, he reached blindly for it. He looked at the display to see who would be calling him at this ungodly hour and frowned when he saw Alaric's name.

"Ric?" he whispered softly, as to not wake Elena next to him.

"Damon, are you at Elena's right now?"

Damon ran a hand through his tired eyes.

"Yes, why?"

There was something off about Ric's voice. This was a man who was always calm and poised. He always kept it together. But right now, he sounded strained. Stressed.. It clutched at Damon's heart.

Something was wrong…

"I was working late at the courthouse tonight. When I drove home…," Ric trailed off again.

"What is it, Ric? Tell me!"

Damon was beginning to panic with Ric's tone.

"I passed an accident site. Damon, Stefan has been in a severe car accident. He might not make it."

Damon's heart actually missed a beat. Stefan had been in an accident? He was in critical condition? O, man! How would he tell Elena? She would be devastated.

Ric remained silent on the other end of the line, as if he was contemplating what to say next. There was more..

And then it hit Damon like a freight train. All the air got sucked out of his lungs as the thought rambled through his brain.

"Ric," he squeaked. "Was Charlotte in the car with him?"

Fear gripped his heart as he waited for his friend to answer him. His body was cold; frozen in time. Then, Ric delivered the devastating blow.

"Yes."

**Twitter: Sandy1983b**


	14. Chapter 14

**Damage control**

**A/N: There have been questions from readers as to why Elena wasn't notified by the authorities about the car accident. Here's the thing: I have looked into several crime/accident stories, where the police had failed to notify the next of kin. It can happen. In my story, Alaric managed to get to the scene quite fast and therefore was a lot quicker about notifying Damon. I hope this explains why I let Alaric be the one to tell about the car crash. Now on to an emotional chapter…**

The hospital.

People are rarely there for joyous occasions. It is a place of pain, diseases, blood and sometimes death. Most of the faces you see walking around, are worried about a loved one. Sometimes it's just a minor impairment; the person they worry about will be fine and healed and walk out of the hospital unscathed. But sometimes, it is a place for the beginning of the end. Damon hoped that he and Elena would be part of the first group; that they would turn the corner and find Charlotte sitting up in a hospital bed, screaming her lungs out for her mother.

Damon's legs almost didn't want to carry him. His stomach was in knots. What would the doctors tell them about Charlotte? Elena was clinging to his arm, asking for silent support. Damon couldn't see her face. Her head was held down as they waited for news, her hair masking her face. But he didn't have to see it to know how torn up she looked; how her eyes were fearful, her cheeks tear-stained. Together, they were pacing the children's ward. Waiting.

After what seemed like a lifetime, a doctor finally approached them. The man's face revealed nothing, and Damon almost didn't want to hear what he had to say. He wasn't sure if his heart could handle it if they were told Charlotte was severely injured.. or worse..

Next to him, Elena squeezed his arm in fear. It was like all the air was sucked from the room. Life got put on hold and everything turned to slow motion. The doctor halted in front of them, searching their faces with his blank eyes.

"Miss Gilbert?" The man asked.

"Yes. Please… My daughter..," Elena's voice pleaded.

"I'm Doctor Jensen. Shall we sit down for a second?"

Damon watched as Elena violently shook her head.

"I don't want to sit down. Please tell me about my daughter."

"Very well. I examined your daughter as she was brought in after the car accident. The collision she was in was..severe. She suffered from several internal bleedings. However, I was able to stabilize her. She's not out of the woods yet, though. Time will tell how she pulls through this."

Damon's heart almost stopped as he watched Elena crumble next to him. Soft sobs wracked her body as she sank down in one of the hospital chairs.

"O my god," she cried.

Damon swallowed, trying to clear his dry throat as he addressed the doctor.

"What about head trauma?"

Doctor Jensen looked down.

"We're not sure about the extent of that. We'll know more as soon as she wakes up. For now, we are monitoring her very closely. We're doing all that we can, sir."

"I want to see her," Elena whispered brokenly. "Please."

Doctor Jensen nodded.

"Of course. This way."

Damon held onto Elena as tight as he could, afraid of what they would find in that hospital room. What would Charlotte look like? Would she lie broken in a bed?

He shook the thought away. He needed to be strong here. Elena needed him. Charlotte needed him. He had to stay positive for both of them.

As they reached Charlotte's room, he prepared himself, straightening his back.

The first thing that hit him was the sound of a heart monitor. It sounded loudly in his ears, but it seemed to be a good and steady rhythm. That must mean that Charlotte's heart was strong. There was a small, iron hospital bed in the middle of the room where the little girl lay. His heart squeezed in his chest as she came into view. She was hooked on so many wires, it was frightening. He just needed to remember that they were there to help her. She looked so small and frail in her bed. How did Stefan let this happen? How could he get himself into a car accident with a little girl strapped in the back seat?

He didn't even know how Stefan was doing. At this moment, he didn't particularly care. Charlotte was his priority.

Charlotte, with the curly blonde hair (probably her father's hair) and the big, toothless grin. Her beautiful, brown eyes were closed now and Damon almost willed them to open. There was no way that this sweet baby girl would be damaged because of her father's actions. He wouldn't allow it! If she pulled through this, he was going to protect her and spoil her rotten. There was no way she was ever going to be out of his sight again!

"Hey baby, it's mommy. Listen to me, you're going to get better, okay? Because you can't leave me. I'm going to be so upset with you if you do. We still have so many things to do together. You just have to come back to me, okay? Can you do that for mommy?" Elena cried next to Damon.

He watched as she stroked her daughter's small hand.

"Your mom is right, Charlotte. I know that we don't know each other for all that long, but I love you already. You still need to give me and your mom some grief. I want to chase you around the yard when you learn how to walk. I want to watch cartoons together. Hell, I want to kick some boyfriends out when you turn into a teenager!"

Elena raised her eyebrows at his words and he tried to ignore the embarrassment that crept over him.

"That is, if your mom will tolerate ME for that long," he quickly said.

What the hell was he thinking?! They hadn't been dating long enough to talk about the future!

Luckily for him, Elena gave him a small smile and stepped into his arms.

"She's going to be okay, right Damon? Please tell me that she's going to be okay?"

Her voice broke when she spoke the last word and he could do nothing but hold her.

"Excuse me," a voice behind them interrupted the moment.

Damon turned around to see Katherine Pierce standing in the doorway; she was as pale as a ghost and her eyes were red from all her crying. That must mean that Stefan wasn't doing all that great either. He held Elena a bit tighter. He wasn't sure if she was able to take another hit of bad news.

"I'm sorry, I.. Stefan.. He sent me to find out how Charlotte is doing. How is she?"

Damon almost let out a sigh of relief at the news that Stefan was still alive, but it was short lived. His anger for the man got the best of him again. He let go of Elena and stood in front of Katherine, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Couldn't he come himself?" he questioned.

Katherine shook her head.

"He's.. He has broken both of his legs. He can hardly move."

"It sounds to me that he still got a better deal out of this than his daughter," Damon bit at her.

Katherine's eyes widened as she turned her head towards the small bed that held Charlotte.

"Please.. Tell me if she's going to be okay," she pled.

"No, Katherine. I cannot tell you that, because I don't know. She's fighting for her life because of your dear Stefan! This is his fault! The vendetta he has created in court has landed us all here. If he hadn't lost his cool.. if he didn't come over to Elena's house to make a scene and upset himself, his ex-wife and his daughter, none of this would have happened! I blame him and you can go back and tell him that if he wanted a war, he's got one now! He took Elena to court to take away her daughter? Well, I'm taking HIM to court now. If Charlotte doesn't pull through, I'll sue him for all he's got. I'll make sure he lands in jail!"

Damon took a step closer to Katherine and glared at her menacingly.

"The tables are turned now. He will NEVER get custody again."

Katherine opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. Instead, she turned around and began to walk away. She took one last stop in the doorway.

"Stefan didn't do this on purpose, you know. We all love Charlotte here. I sincerely hope that she pulls through."

With those words she disappeared from sight.

"I'm sorry, Elena. I know this is not really my fight anymore. They just make me so angry," Damon said.

Elena wrapped her arms around him, snuggling into his chest.

"I love you for trying to help me. But Katherine's right. Don't get me wrong. I'm very upset with Stefan about all this and he will get what's coming to him, but he wouldn't intentionally hurt our daughter. That's why I want to go and find him. I want to know what happened."

Damon shook his head.

"I'll do it. I don't want you shaken up any further. You need to be here for your daughter. I'll talk to Stefan about the accident. Are you okay with that?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now, I'll go and get you a bit of water first. I don't want you dehydrated. I'll be right back."

Damon kissed Elena's forehead and quickly made it towards a water tank. There, he found Alaric pacing the hallway.

"Damon. I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner. The police wanted to take my statement. How is she?"

Damon sighed.

"It's bad. She had some internal bleeding. We are waiting to see how she pulls through this."

Alaric's face fell with the news.

"I'm sorry. How is Elena holding up?"

"She's tough. But I don't know what will happen if Charlotte doesn't make it. She won't survive that."

Alaric watched his best friend closely, examining him.

"And how are YOU holding up?"

Damon turned, busying himself with filling a cup with water.

"I'm okay," he stoically said.

"You don't always have to be the tough guy, you know. I'm here for you," Ric let him know.

Damon felt the tears pricking behind his eyes. He could barely stop them.

"Come on, man," his best friend said, before enveloping him in a quick hug.

"I can't lose her, Ric. I can't lose THEM!"

"I know."

After a few seconds, Damon's guard went back up. He had to be strong for Elena.

"I'm okay now. I'll just bring this to Elena."

He quickly made it back to the room. Apparently, quick wasn't enough..

The sight in Charlotte's hospital room made him drop the water. He froze for a second, before hurrying towards an unconscious Elena, lying on the floor.

What the hell had happened during the time that he was gone?!

"Elena! Elena, wake up!" he almost screamed.

This couldn't be happening!

"Elena!"

"Damon? What's going on?"

Ric had come running from the hallway at the commotion and stopped at what he saw.

"Get a doctor, Ric! Now…."

Damon watched him from the doorway. Anger bubbled up inside of him because of all that this man had caused. He got off way too easy. Two broken legs? What the hell were two broken legs when your daughter was bleeding internally? When your ex-wife was probably so stressed out that she had fainted.

Some nurses were taking her blood now. He had practically ordered them to do it; he needed to be sure that her fainting spell was stress related. Charlotte being in the hospital was already enough. He couldn't bear it if Elena turned out to be sick too.

He watched as Stefan's face contorted in pain every time he moved an inch. His legs were in a cast and propped up on the bed. He was holding a picture in his hands, staring at it with hollow eyes. Tears were making their way down his cheeks.

Damon almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

He didn't come down here to feel sorry for the man. He came here to throttle him!

When he stepped into the room, Stefan's eyes turned to him; his face a mix of hope and pain.

"My daughter?" he almost begged.

Damon didn't say anything to him. His legs carried him closer towards Stefan's bed; his entire posture rigid with anger. He raised his hand towards Stefan; it was aimed at his neck.

"Please," Stefan whispered, but it wasn't because he was afraid of what Damon might do to him.

It was because of absolute pain. Pain for his daughter. Pain for what he had caused.

"Please," he said again.

He broke into tears, desperately looking up at Damon.

Damon himself felt tears welling up in his eyes. He tried to keep them at bay. Anger and hurt were battling inside of him. His hand was still going for Stefan's neck, but there was something in the way that Stefan was looking at him. Pleading him with his eyes. Damon tried to block it out. The fight was visible in his crystal blue eyes; fury shooting out of them, while hot tears finally made their way down his cheeks.

"I'm so sorry."

His hand finally froze and landed on Stefan's shoulder instead. It was a simple act; an act that caused Stefan to erupt into bursts of tears. He latched onto Damon's wrist for comfort, while Damon let him cry it out. His own tears couldn't be held back as he wept with his enemy for a girl they both loved….

**My god, I know it's horrible what I'm doing to you here! This was one angst filled chap. But I needed to write this. Maybe also for my own benefit. I needed a good cry and this chapter delivered. My life is just a mess right now. I'm not going to bother you with the details, because you're here to read a story. So I hope you'll cry along with this chapter and smile with the next, because boy..do I have a good surprise for you! And DE of course ;) Actually, I have two surprises… Feel free to speculate about them in a review ;)**

**Thank you! And a special thank you to my beta Jaana, who's been a huge help in ALL of my stories. She listens to my ideas, my worries, my rants and corrects my mistakes. I love you, hun!**

**Twitter: Sandy1983b**


	15. Chapter 15

**The silver lining**

"Da…da..da."

Damon frowned in his sleep as he could hear sounds coming from somewhere far away. He was having the nicest dream about him, Elena and Charlotte being at home, enjoying a family night. But something was incessantly trying to wake him. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter and tried not to wake fully. He needed rest.

"DA! DA!"

For the love of god, what on earth had to be so noisy?! He groaned as he felt the veil of sleep slowly being lifted. He opened his eyes and was met with a pair of big, brown eyes looking back at him. A tiny voice at the back of his mind was telling him that something was up with the scene in front of him, but his still sleepy brain couldn't seem to grasp it quite yet. He blinked a few times as he saw the little girl in front of him sitting up. She reached out with her arms, ordering him to take her out of her bed. She started to sob a little. And then it hit him.

"Charlotte!"

He jumped up from the seat by her bedside and rushed to her side. She was awake! Charlotte was awake! And she seemed to be doing fine. He reached down to stroke the top of her head, but was afraid to pick her up. What if there was still some damage left from the crash? He needed to have her examined first.

"Doctor!" he yelled out into the hallway.

A nurse came running and smiled when she saw the vision in front of her. She immediately paged Doctor Jensen. Damon, in the meantime, rushed over towards the room next door, where he had ordered Elena to lay down and rest for a moment. Her fainting spell from last night still bugged him and he hoped that the blood testing results came in soon.

"Elena, sweetheart?" he softly whispered to her sleeping form on the bed.

She moaned a little, before opening her sleepy eyes.

"Damon?"

Damon smiled at her.

"You have to wake up. There is a little girl in the room next door that wants to see you," he told her.

Elena immediately bolted upright.

"She's awake?"

"Yep. She literally talked me right out of my sleep. It seems that she's the same old Charlotte."

Tears formed in Elena's eyes as she almost ran from her room towards Charlotte's.

"O baby!" Elena cried as she spotted her daughter.

Charlotte tried the same approach with her mother, raising her arms to be lifted from her bed. Elena eyed her with uncertainty.

"Can I hold her?" she asked Damon.

"Well, let's see how she's doing first," Doctor Jensen spoke up as he entered the room.

He examined the baby-girl as she became crankier by the minute because of being poked and prodded and for her demands not being met. She wailed loudly, making the doctor understand that she was not at all happy with him examining her.

Finally, the Doctor gave the okay.

"Time will tell us more, but for now she seems to be doing very well. You can hold her and cuddle. That always helps infants to heal much better. But be gentle. She needs to stay at the hospital for the next few more days at least until we know for sure if she's completely out of the woods. And she will need plenty of rest," he instructed.

Both Damon and Elena thanked the Doctor. He exited the room, while Elena carefully picked up her daughter. That seemed to sooth her crying and she snuggled into her mother's arms. Damon's heart constricted at the scene in front of him. It looked like his family would be all right.

"Elena, you'd better sit down. I still don't know what caused your fainting spell and I don't want it to happen again, especially not with you holding Charlotte," Damon ordered.

Elena rolled her eyes at him, but complied anyway.

"I am fine, Damon. It was just the stress. Now that Charlotte is back with us again, I'm sure there won't be anymore fainting spells."

"Let's just see what the blood results say. I'm serious, Elena. I love you. Both of you. If anything had happened.."

His voice cracked a bit.

"Hey. We're fine. We're going to make it out of this unscathed," Elena reassured him.

Damon knelt next to his women and carefully stroked Charlotte's back. The little girl's head immediately lifted from her mother's chest. She began to wriggle and reached out to get to him.

Elena sighed.

"I see that side of her is still present. My girl has the biggest crush on you."

"Well, at least you know she has good taste," Damon winked at her.

"Yeah yeah, try not to get too full of yourself. Here, you can take her."

Damon took the little girl from her mother's arms and gently cradled her against his chest. The feeling of having her in his arms again was overwhelming and he desperately tried to hide the tears that were forming in his eyes. He gently kissed the top of Charlotte's head.

"You sit down with her for a moment. There's something I have to do," Elena told him.

Damon frowned at her, but chose to remain silent.

He sat down and watched as she left. He wondered what was on her mind.

Charlotte gurgled in his arms and he looked down at her small body. She had claimed such an important part of his life in such a short time. He had always detested children. The thought of becoming a father had repelled him. But he would always hold a special place in his heart for this baby girl. He really would kick out all the bad boyfriends like he had told Elena. Hell, he would chase them with a shotgun for ever hurting this innocent girl. Even the thought of her getting hurt in the future caused his heart to squeeze in pain. Boy, had he become a sap!

A movement by the door caused him to look up. Stefan was sitting in a wheelchair, watching his daughter with tears in his eyes. Elena was standing behind him, smiling. So that's where she had run off to. She had wanted to inform Charlotte's father. Stefan carefully wheeled himself into the room and stopped next to where Damon was sitting. He silently asked permission, eying Damon pleadingly.

Damon nodded and carefully handed over the child to her father. Stefan clutched her to his chest and burst out into tears. Heaving sobs wracked his body at the realisation that his daughter would be okay. Elena remained in the doorway, tears trailing down her cheeks at the sight of Stefan falling apart.

Damon chose to leave them alone for a second, making his way towards the doorway. He smiled at Elena as he passed her.

"I'll just go and get us all a cup of coffee," he told her.

He gently pecked her lips.

"Thank you," Elena mouthed at him.

Damon gave her a nod and went out into the hallway. He was surprised to find Caroline waiting outside, pacing back and forth.

"Caroline, I didn't know you were out here," he greeted her.

He was still wary when it came to her. He couldn't help it.

"Yeah," her voice sounded raspy, "Elena called me. I drove here with her parents. They are parking the car right now."

Damon frowned. It was one hell of a way to meet Elena's parents. Well, he knew who they were from back when he was a teenager. He had always spotted Elena with her mother. He hadn't liked Miranda Gilbert back then. He hoped things would be different this time.

"Listen, Damon. For what it's worth..," Caroline began, "I know we haven't gotten off to the best start. We hated each other in High School. I was suspicious of your reasons for representing Elena. But you turned out kind of all right."

Damon eyebrows shot up at her half attempt at an apology. He found it fascinating to watch her wringing her hands in front of him. HIM! It used to be the other way around.

He could do something nasty here. He could take advantage of her vulnerable position in front of him right now. Instead, he gave her shoulder a firm squeeze and smiled slightly at her. It was his way of saying she was forgiven. They refrained from saying anything else as Damon fetched them all some coffee. He even offered Caroline some.

The Gilbert family came rushing into the children's ward.

"Caroline, have you heard anything yet?" Miranda Gilbert asked frantically.

"No, but Damon might be able tell you some more. You know he was Elena's lawyer. I think Elena has told you she's been dating him for a while. He stayed here all night."

Miranda's eyes locked with Damon's, eying him with a frown.

"Oh. So you're Damon Salvatore?"

Damon smiled.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Can you tell me about my granddaughter?"

"Your granddaughter is going to be fine as it seems. She's awake; she's already making demands and letting herself be heard. The Doctor said that she needs to be hospitalized for at least a few more days, but he is confident about her recovery. Time will tell," Damon explained.

"Oh, thank god!" Miranda exclaimed as she hugged her husband, Grayson.

Grayson extended his hand to Damon.

"Hello. Grayson Gilbert. I know this is not the best way to meet. You do seem slightly familiar, though."

Caroline chuckled next to them, but said nothing.

"Yeah, I guess I just have one of those familiar faces," Damon said.

Elena chose that moment to exit the hospital room and walked up to them.

"Mom. Dad. I'm so glad you're here. It's been a rough night, but it looks as if everyone is going to be okay," she told them.

"Can we see Charlotte?" Miranda asked.

"In a minute. Stefan is there with her right now. He needs some time alone with her."

"Stefan? That asshole put her in here!" Grayson exploded.

Elena placed her hand on his arm to calm him down.

"Dad. He didn't do this on purpose. He's already beating himself up about it enough as it is. Don't add more stress to this situation. Trust me; Stefan is in agony over this."

"Well, he damned well should be!"

"Dad, please? For Charlotte?"

Grayson clenched his jaw, before finally relenting and giving his daughter a nod.

"You know what? I think this is a good time to get some clean clothes. You've all got Charlotte covered now. Plus, I desperately need to shave," Damon spoke up, winking at Elena.

"I like your stubble," she flirted.

"Yeah, but I don't want to get any chafe marks on Charlotte. I'll be quick and bring you some toiletries and clean stuff too."

He turned around to go to his car, when Grayson caught up with him.

"I'll join you. I don't want to spend my time waiting in a hospital hallway with a bunch of women," he joked.

Damon raised his eyebrows. He had a feeling about why Grayson was coming with him and it had nothing to do with all the women in the hallway. He had just met his daughter's new boyfriend. He was going to grill him.

"So Damon..," Grayson began as soon as they were in the car. "I understand that you're seeing my daughter?"

Damon smiled, but kept his eyes on the road.

"Yes."

"Elena is really something, isn't she? You were her lawyer?"

"Yes, but I was pulled from the case because we became involved. It's unethical in the eyes of the law. My co-worker is representing her now," Damon told Elena's father.

"So as her ex-lawyer I'm sure you are aware of the baggage she's carrying. A baby, an ex-husband that's dragging her to court for custody. She doesn't have an easy life. It's a hell of a lot to start with in a relationship."

Damon wanted to chuckle at Grayson's bluntness. He already liked this man. He was sticking up for his daughter, afraid she was going to get hurt again.

"Mr. Gilbert, I know all about your daughter's struggles in life. I've watched her juggle with being a mom, sharing custody with Stefan and working to provide for herself and her little girl. I've seen it all. And I'm still here. You know why, Mr. Gilbert? Because your daughter is the sweetest, brightest, most beautiful woman I've ever encountered in my life. She's so strong. And Charlotte.. I'll admit that I wasn't a man that wanted children out of life. But the day that little girl looked into my eyes and smiled at me, I was sold."

Things turned quiet in the car and Damon knew that Grayson was thinking his answer over. He could see the wheels turning in his head.

"I'm sure you know why I'm asking you this. When she met Stefan, I thought he was perfect for her. But it turned out he was far from it. He disappointed us all. I'm very protective of my girl. If you ever hurt her, I will break your legs. That's a promise," Grayson pointed out.

Damon turned his head and gave Grayson a serious look.

"Mr. Gilbert. I love your daughter and granddaughter more than I will ever love anything in this life. Trust me, if either of them ever got hurt, I would be the one doing the breaking of members."

Grayson Gilbert gave him a nod. It was an understanding between them. Both men smiled as the rest of the journey continued….

"Miss Gilbert? Could I have a word with you, please?" a nurse in the doorway of Charlotte's room asked.

Both Damon and Elena looked up in surprise. What did she want?

"It's okay, sweetie. We'll look after Charlotte," Miranda spoke up.

Elena nodded and followed the nurse, Damon high on her tail. He just knew it was about the blood results. It had been a few days since they had drawn blood. They should know something by know. A knot formed in his stomach at the thought of them finding something, anything. He hoped she was okay.

The nurse led them to a small office. She closed the door as they all sat down. Damon's heart was in his throat with nerves.

_Please be okay, Elena!_

"Okay, Miss Gilbert. A few days ago you fainted and we had some blood drawn from you. We tested it to see if there was anything found to indicate your fainting spell," the nurse began.

"Was there anything found?" Damon interrupted her long opening speech.

The nurse looked up.

"Yes, there was."

Damon could feel his stomach dropping. His heart almost stopped beating. No. Elena was NOT sick! After everything they had been through in these past few days! And now that Charlotte was finally okay… Her mother couldn't be sick! Charlotte needed her!

"Okay. Tell me," Elena said in a weak voice.

She latched onto Damon's hand, waiting for the most terrible news.

"Congratulations, Miss Gilbert.. You're pregnant."

**A/N: After last chapter, this story deserved all the happiness it could get. I hope you all liked it. A lot of you were right about speculating that Elena might be pregnant. She is! So what happens now? Will Damon cope with becoming a father, even though he used to dislike children? And how will their families and friends react? Will they think it's too soon? Stay tuned for more. **

**Please review :) I love them and I promise to reply more this time. I know I suck at that. *hugs***

**Twitter: Sandy1983b**


	16. Chapter 16

_A man, a little lady…and a baby_

Damon shook his head in disbelief. Had he heard that nurse right? Because it sure sounded like she had just told them that Elena was carrying a baby.

"I'm.. what?" Elena stumbled over her words next to him.

The nurse seemed oblivious to their shock and carried on with a smile. "You're pregnant, Miss Gilbert. Now I've already taken the liberty to make an appointment with one of our best gynaecologists, Doctor Bennett. Due to the stress you've been under in the past couple of days, we just want to make sure that everything is all right and the pregnancy is proceeding normally."

Damon still looked at the nurse as if she were speaking a different language. His brain was very busy trying to understand what was happening here.

"But.. how?" Elena continued to fumble at his side.

The nurse eyed her a bit strangely. Yes, the question was stupid. Of course they knew _how_ babies were made, Damon thought. But they were just trying to process this information.

"I see that this comes as a bit of a shock to you both," the nurse finally understood. A bit of a shock.. That certainly was the understatement of the year! "The test results were conclusive, though. There is no doubt about it. You are pregnant. Now, Doctor Bennett is expecting you at two this afternoon. This is where her office is located."

The nurse handed them the directions, which Elena took numbly. "Best of luck to you both; congratulations again." The nurse shook their hands and they were already out the door, before Damon had even uttered one word. Elena was standing next to him, looking at him with eyes as big as saucers.

"Damon," she whispered, eyeing him worriedly. The look on his face had her worried.

Damon clenched his jaw and nodded at her. "I know. Let's just wait to hear what Doctor Bennett has to say," he told her.

He honestly wasn't sure what else to say to her right then. He was on the verge of freaking out. He remembered his thoughts from a few weeks ago; the thought of her carrying his child had turned him on immensely. And yes, for some strange reason, he felt proud and manly for getting her knocked up. But the other side of him knew that Elena couldn't stay pregnant forever. That baby was going to come out eventually. A real life human being. His child.. his responsibility.

It scared the shit out of him!

He decided to push his thoughts back until they had spoken to the gynaecologist. Until then, the only focus for them should be Charlotte. He began walking back towards her room, when Elena stopped him.

"Damon, let's not say anything to anyone yet. I know everyone is going to want to know about the blood test results. Let's just say everything is fine. I can't share this with anyone yet. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this myself."

He knew exactly how she was feeling, so he agreed. When they went back, they quickly informed everyone that Elena was fine and distracted themselves by playing with Charlotte...

Doctor Bennett was a warm and friendly African-American woman. She was very patient with them and answered every one of their questions – and there were a lot of them. Damon held on to her every word as she explained what would be happening on this particular appointment.

"So Elena, we'll get you in the stirrups. I'll be doing an internal ultrasound. The reason for this is because you're still very early in your pregnancy, so the baby is very small. We'll be able to see more this way than if I were to do an external ultrasound. Once I locate the baby, I'll be able to inform you on how things are proceeding and come to a probable due date. Okay?"

Elena nodded quietly.

"Good. Now you can go behind that curtain and undress yourself. You can put on the hospital gown that I have laid out for you; once you're ready, tell me and we'll start."

Damon watched as Elena disappeared behind the curtain and tapped his foot nervously. Would they really be able to see a baby? It all just seemed so unreal.

"Mr. Salvatore, do you have any questions so far?" Doctor Bennett smiled at him warmly. She seemed to understand his nerves. "You've been kind of quiet."

"I just.. I guess I'll just wait until I see it with my own eyes. It's still too unreal right now," he told her.

The Doctor nodded at him. "That's understandable. Are you a first-time father?"

_Father_? Okay, the word 'father' and him just didn't seem to belong in the same sentence. The women from his past could probably vouch for the fact that he would be a lousy Dad. He couldn't even seem to commit to one woman, let alone a child!

On the other hand; that was before he met Elena. He wanted to commit himself to her. And he was doing okay with Charlotte.

But Charlotte wasn't his. Maybe that made things easier. "Yes," he finally croaked.

"Don't worry," she smiled. "I'll fill you in on all that you need to know. I'll walk you through his step by step."

"I'm ready," they heard the meek voice of Elena behind the curtain.

Doctor Bennett got up and Damon followed her to where Elena had already placed herself on a bed, ready to put her feet in the stirrups. He looked on as the Doctor grabbed hold of a weird TV set, before picking up a long looking stick. Wait. Would she be sticking _that_ in Elena?

She squirted some gel onto it, before raising Elena's hospital gown a bit. "Okay. This is going to feel a little cold. Try to relax. Now, let's see if we can find your baby."

Damon couldn't help it. He felt uncomfortable as heck as he watched the Doc stick that thing inside of his Elena and probe around. Would this ruin his sex life forever?

"There," Doctor Bennett suddenly said.

Damon's eyes snapped up to the black and white screen in front of him. His eyes searched for whatever the Doc claimed she had found, but he couldn't see it. It was all grainy. Where could she possibly have found a baby in all of that?

The Doctor froze the screen. "There's your baby."

Elena became a weeping mess in front of him, while Damon just blinked at the image. Where the fuck was that baby?

"Oh, Damon!" Elena wept. "Look at that. Isn't it beautiful?"

"Eh, I just.. I don't see it," he confessed.

Doctor Bennett smiled at him, before pointing towards a small speck in the middle of that grainy looking image. Wait. That was it? That grain of salt was his child?

"Everything seems to be good. You are about six weeks pregnant. Given the date of your last period, I'd say the due date is around February 15th next year. But for now, this pregnancy is going as planned. Do you want me to print this picture for you both?"

Elena nodded, while Damon still stared at his grain of salt. That little speck would become a baby. Charlotte's brother of sister. Oh, god! That was his son or daughter!

"All right, Elena. You can get dressed and then we can talk about pre-natal vitamins and the next appointment."

The rest of the appointment went by in a blur for Damon. He tried to focus on Doctor Bennett's important information, but his brain had turned to mush. He just needed some time to take a deep breath and get off this rollercoaster ride for a second. He needed to think.

"I'll see you in a few weeks. We'll get to listen to the baby's heartbeat then," the Doc said to them.

Damon turned even more pale. It had a heartbeat already? Damn it! Fear gripped him full force. He quickly shook the Doctor's hand, before almost running from the room.

"Elena, do you mind if I went to the office for a few hours? There are a few things that need to be done," he said to Elena.

He tried to keep his voice even, but inside, he was trembling like a leaf.

Elena frowned at him. "Can't Alaric do them? Damon, we just experienced a few hectic hours together. We need to stop and think about this, talk about his."

Talking was exactly what he didn't want to do right now. He needed to get away for a few hours.

"We will talk about this. But right now, I really need to get to the office. I'll be back real soon. Give Charlotte a kiss for me," he hurriedly said, before bolting out of there...

Alaric looked up in surprise as he watched his friend and co-worker enter the office.

"Damon? I didn't thing you would be in for at least a few more days. What are you doing here? Is everything okay? Is it Charlotte?"

Damon flopped down into his chair and began leafing through some files. Ah, yes. Distraction. This was exactly what he needed. "Charlotte's fine," he mumbled, before finding the perfect case to bury himself in.

Alaric frowned at his friend. "Did you get into an argument with Elena, or something?" he continued his questioning.

"Nope."

"Is Stefan causing troubles again?" Damon shook his head.

"Then why the fuck are you here, Damon? I got this. You can go back to the hospital. Elena needs you!" Damon remained silent and began typing things onto his computer. He flat out ignored his friend, causing Ric to boil over. "Damn it, you stubborn fool! Either you tell me what the hell is going on with you or I will unplug all of the computers in here and make you listen to me!" he yelled.

Damon punched his fist into the desk. "I came here to get distracted! You're not helping here. Let me work!"

Alaric got up from his desk and sat down in front of Damon's. "Wow, things must be bad, then. Come on, buddy. Distraction is just a way to stick your head in the sand. I know you love to do that. But it will only delay your problems. So get it out now, before it eats you alive."

Silence filled the room, before Damon finally reached into his pocket and threw the ultrasound picture onto his desk. Alaric picked it up and eyed it with confusion, before his eyes turned wide.

"Is this what I think it is?"

"I don't know. If you think that that is my baby you are currently seeing, then yes, you are right."

Alaric's face erupted into a huge grin. "Dude! You got Elena Gilbert pregnant! Congratulations, man!"

Damon didn't respond and looked out the window, causing Alaric to ease up on his enthusiasm somewhat.

"Why are you not over the moon, Damon?"

"Have you seen my track record? I used to fuck everything that wore a skirt, I partied a lot, and I never wanted to settle down... Responsibility was the furthest thing on my mind. And I _hated_ kids. Seriously. I'm not parent material. What if this kid grows up hating me? There are dozens of people that I've torn apart in and outside of the court room. I'm surprised nobody has come after me with a shotgun yet! I was incapable of love, Alaric. And I hurt people. It's what I do. What if I hurt my child?" He shook his hand and ran a hand through his hair. "No, I can't do this. How am I going to teach it about responsibility when I obviously ran from it my entire life?"

The words came out before he could stop himself. He was scared; scared that he couldn't offer this child the love it deserved. He didn't want to hurt it and he definitely didn't want to hurt Elena.

Alaric tapped his finger to his chin, contemplating what his friend just said. "You are probably right about everything that you have just said," he finally stated. Damon's shoulder's hunched with his words. "But... you are forgetting about one thing."

"What's that?"

Alaric smiled at him.

"You are not incapable of love. I have watched you over the past few years. You always thought you were invincible. When you went over towards Elena's house for the first time, you were an ice cold bastard, yes. But when you came back, she had gotten to you. It was written all over your face. You love her, Damon. You love Elena, and you love Charlotte. For a man who always claimed he detested children, you sure were good with that child. There is a reason for that kid always screaming for your attention, man. She loves you."

Damon swallowed something. Man, was he getting a lump in his throat?

"Having a child is going to be scary, yes. Are you going to make mistakes? Yes. No one is a perfect parent, Damon, no one."

They both stared at the ultrasound picture, lying on Damon's desk for a second.

Finally, Alaric broke the silence. "I do sincerely hope that kid gets its' mother's looks during High School, though."

Damon threw back his head and laughed...

His heart squeezed in his chest as he watched both of his girls sleeping. Charlotte was peaceful and quiet in her hospital bed, while Elena was uncomfortable on a seat next to her in her makeshift bed. As he got closer to her, he could see that she had been crying. It caused his heart to lurch even more, knowing he was responsible for that. She probably thought that he would run out on her. Heck, he _had_ run out on her!

But he was back now, ready to make it up to her. For the rest of his life, if he had to.

He softly kissed Elena on her forehead, causing her to stir. Finally, she opened her eyes.

"Hey," he whispered.

She sat up a bit, obviously wary of what he would do or say. "Hey," she answered him flatly.

He knelt down in front of her. "I'm sorry," he apologised. "I know I was being an asshole."

"Yes, you were."

Damon got up and pulled a seat up next to her. He sat down, a little unsure of what to say. He settled on, "How was Charlotte today?"

Elena sighed.

"She threw several tantrums. I'm glad she's finally asleep. I think she really wants to go home. Plus, I also think she wanted you."

They both stared at Charlotte's sleeping form for a second.

"Charlotte is already very attached to you, Damon. If you want to go, do it now. She's still very young. She won't remember you anymore in a few weeks."

Damon's heart skipped a beat at her words. The thought of Charlotte looking at him without any form of remembrance would kill him. He loved seeing her joy when he walked through the door. He loved it when she only wanted to cuddle with him, instead of anyone else. If that were gone…

"I don't want to go, Elena," he croaked, the strain in his voice evident as he fought back tears. Normally, he would hate it if anyone saw his vulnerable side. But right now, Elena needed to see that he was in this for real; that he loved them both more than his own life.

"I know I behaved like a fool. I was scared. When I saw our baby on that picture, it became all too real. I'm a fuck-up, Elena. I used to hurt people and I wouldn't give a shit about it. I did it with a song in my heart. The thought of me being responsible for a tiny human being... I became so scared that I would hurt my own child. I almost began to think that you would be better off without me."

A single tear was slowly rolling down his cheek now and Elena straightened herself, leaning forward. "You don't think that I'm scared? Here I am, with one child in the hospital and another child still so tiny inside of me that anything could happen. I want to share this with you, Damon. If we are going to try and be good parents for our child, we need to talk about what we are thinking; all of our hopes and fears. Otherwise it won't work. You can't run away when the going gets tough."

Damon nodded. "I know. I won't. Not anymore. I'm done running from things. I'm in this for the long haul. If you'll have me..," he trailed off.

Elena got up from her seat and pulled him up with her. She then put his hand on her still flat stomach; a stomach that would soon be swelling with his child. The thought, once again, turned him on.

"Are you ready for this, Damon?" Elena whispered.

Damon looked from Charlotte to Elena, and then to her stomach where his child rested. His face broke out into a grin. "I'm going to be a man with a little lady and a baby."

"Hey, don't forget about your hot, once High School crush!" she objected.

"How could I ever forget about her?" he winked at her, before kissing her softly. "I never could," he breathed against her lips.

The kiss quickly spun out of control as Damon felt Elena almost eating him up and pulling at his hair. Her fingernails were gently scratching his scalp, causing him to softly moan. His hand went down to her ass, lifting him up against his hardness. Man, it had been awhile for them both! With the accident, Charlotte being in the hospital and then the pregnancy, his dick was already hard enough to hammer nails into the wall!

"Uhm, Damon?" Elena breathed harshly as she pushed him a little off of her. "Charlotte is sleeping right there."

Damon ran a hand through his hair to get himself under control.

"Yeah, I know. This will have to be continued some other time. Although.. isn't it harmful for the baby if we.. ?"he questioned, eliciting a laugh from his girl.

"It's perfectly fine. People can have sex during pregnancy."

Damon almost wanted to jump for joy. The thought of not having sex for nine months… Okay, eight months, since she was already carrying his child for a month now. But still..

Suddenly, the image of her sitting on top of him, her belly protruding with the pregnancy while she rode them both to oblivion, careened into his brain. He let out a curse as his cock wanted to poke through the buttons of his pants.

"Mind out of the gutter, Damon. Trust me, when we get to bring Charlotte home in a few days, you are in for a treat," Elena told him.

Damon groaned again.

"Tease!"

**A/N: **SMUT WILL BE NEXT CHAPTER! YES, I AM A TEASE! ;) All jokes aside, though. I'm fond of this story, and even though I'm not the most regular updater, I will never give it up. It deserves a good finish. BUT, the finish isn't close yet. So if you can't wait for smut the next chapter, if you want to know if Stefan will continue on with the trial, or if you want to see Damon stumble around as a father, please tell me so in a review :)

Oh yes, my new twitter is plainoldSandra. In case you were wondering what happened to my other account ( Sandy1983b), I wanted an account where I would be free to tweet about whatever I wanted. I couldn't do that on my old one, so it got deleted. My new account can be followed for story updates, crazy random thoughts and outbursts. Yes, on Thursday night, you might also get TVD tweets. But not as many anymore. TVD needs to stay a hobby and not become a chore ;)

I owe a huge thanks to Kate (This Is My Escape) for being my beta on this. 33


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